Gospel Q&A is a series from LDS Daily that strives to answer important gospel questions from readers. Today, we answer the question, “How can I find and foster celestial love in my life?”
Do you have a question you’d like to see answered? Send us an email at calledtoshare@ldsdaily.com or leave it in the comments below.
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Welcome to a special Valentine’s Day edition of our weekly gospel Q&A. Today, we’re going to discuss how to find celestial love in today’s toxic dating culture. However, no matter your relationship status, hopefully, these words can inspire you to love better as a spouse, friend, church leader, or even as a stranger.
“As I Have Loved You”
In our minds, we know that Jesus Christ acts as our ultimate example of love. Getting charity into our hearts is another matter, especially when there seems to be so much on the line. No matter what kind of relationship we hope to find or foster, we should strive to embody Christ’s love each and every day.
Jesus taught us to “love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” Take some time to ponder on how the Savior has loved you and what that might look like for you. For me, here are a few words that remind me of Christ’s love:
- Abundant
- Free
- Intimate
- Perceptive
- Grace
- Surprising
- Gentle
What words would you use? How can you make those words a part of your interactions with others and especially those you want to love better?
Brave Enough & Bold Enough
In the context of our church assignments and service, President Henry B. Eyring once said, “You are under covenant to go to a spiritually wounded child of God. You are responsible to be brave enough and bold enough not to turn away.”
I think this is a great way to describe the courage we need to share our hearts. It seems to me that our culture today is about hiding love. We don’t ever want the first person to show our hand or our hearts. It’s almost like a game to see who can avoid being the one who needs love, who wants love, and who expresses need first.
I suggest being brave enough and bold enough to share your heart as inspired by the Spirit. Of course, we need to be careful in the way we share ourselves with others. Not everyone deserves to know our hearts intimately right away. However, as you build trust and a sense of connection, be brave and bold in the way you express love to others. If you have a kind thought, do it. If you want to express gratitude, express it. If you want to spend time with someone, offer a kind invitation.
Ultimately, by sharing the love of Christ bravely and boldly with others, you will attract celestial love into your life.
Who Do You Get Excited to Love?
The best piece of dating advice I ever received was this: Pay attention to who you get excited to love.
So much of the time, we focus on who is good at loving us. We focus on ourselves and having our needs met. If we turn outward and see who we find supreme joy in serving, we may discover an unexpected opportunity to foster celestial love.
When I ponder on those I’ve truly loved, the very act of loving them brought me supreme joy. I couldn’t help but think about what I could do to make them feel better, feel supported, feel appreciated, and feel cared for. It was not only extremely natural to love them, but I wanted to love them. I was anxious to do it!
Look for opportunities to serve others and the relationships in your life will become clearer. God will also gain more trust in you and provide you with more chances to tend to His children. You never know what this may mean for your future love life.
Your Covenant Relationship with Christ
I’m a big believer that all of our relationships here on earth mirror our relationship with God. When something is wrong here, it is best to look at our relationship with Christ and strengthen it first. So many other things can fall into place when our focus is on loving God and keeping our covenants.
In my own life, I’ve felt desperation for love. I’ve sought it from another person in the hopes that it would solve my problems. Unsurprisingly, this was never very successful. Love from another person can heal us, make us feel more whole, and give us strength to face the storms of life. But it cannot be our foundation. Our covenant relationship with Christ is the relationship that will truly change our life. Seek to attract and please God. Seek to be everything God wants rather than what another person wants.
The desire for celestial love is natural! We were designed to be loved and to love others. Consecrating our souls so we might better experience this sort of love is the quest of eternity. I know as we turn to Christ and follow Him, we will be better inspired, more courageous, and ultimately filled with love.
Disclaimer: While all of our answers will use scriptures and/or words of modern prophets, we do not represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We don’t believe any of our answers are comprehensive.
