Come follow me

We just need to dig a little deeper to see that answer, which lies in the covenant path.

It’s time once again to relive the most recent General Conference.  And I can’t think of a better choice than the words of the living Prophet.

In his remarks entitled “Come, Follow Me,” President Russell M. Nelson spoke of family and the need for eternal covenants to bind families together forever.  He also considered a question everyone will ask when brought to the transition between this life and the next.  “Where is my family?”

Many LDS singles haven’t waited for the Grim Reaper before asking that question.  To those who’ve lingered in the valley of the shadow of a never-ending singleness, that question “Where is my family?” appears prominently.  President Nelson of course emphasizes that temple marriage as the truly satisfying answer to that question.

Many LDS singles may write this off as some same-old-ball-and-chain response that doesn’t really help them, but I won’t.  President Nelson answered the question in a way that helps LDS singles move forward in their lives.  We just need to dig a little deeper to see that answer, which lies in the covenant path.  We walk that path when we heed the call of the Master, “Come, follow me.”

Choose to follow Him

President Nelson speaking of the covenant path shouldn’t surprise us.  That idea has been prominent since he became the Prophet.  The Brethren have used that phrase significantly more after President Nelson became the Prophet than they did before.

I believe it’s essential for LDS singles who desire the blessings of family.  “Where is my family?” you ask.  I answer, “Along the covenant path.”  Listen to these words from a living Prophet.

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Jesus Christ teaches the way back to our eternal home. He understands our Heavenly Father’s plan of eternal progression better than any of us. After all, He is the keystone of it all. He is our Redeemer, our Healer, and our Savior.

Ever since Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, Jesus the Christ has offered His mighty arm to help all who choose to follow Him. Repeatedly, scriptures record that despite all kinds of sins from all kinds of people, His arms are outstretched still.

Did you catch that?  “Christ has offered His mighty arm to help all who choose to follow Him.”  Christ will help you achieve your blessings, but only by staying on the covenant path will you attract the companion who’ll go with you to the House of the Lord to begin your eternal family.

Examine your assumptions

Much of the frustration people have stems from fault assumptions.  Assumptions provide the foundation behind our actions.  We typically don’t act contrary to what we assume is true.  That’s just how we’re biologically hardwired.

President Nelson cited two false assumptions many in the world make regarding eternal families.  He mentioned how love songs have popularized the false notion that love is all you need to be together forever.  And he described how some have twisted the truth about the Resurrection to extend beyond just saving individuals from physical death.

Of course, quoting from D&C 132:7, which President Nelson did, sufficiently quells that erroneous assumption.  But what other faulty assumptions do people have regarding eternal families?  In particular, what faulty assumptions do LDS singles have regarding eternal families?

Think about those questions as you consider President Nelson’s words:

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The Savior invites all to follow Him into the waters of baptism and, in time, to make additional covenants with God in the temple and receive and be faithful to those further essential ordinances. All these are required if we want to be exalted with our families and with God forever.

The anguish of my heart is that many people whom I love, whom I admire, and whom I respect decline His invitation. They ignore the pleadings of Jesus Christ when He beckons, “Come, follow me.”

I understand why God weeps. I also weep for such friends and relatives. They are wonderful men and women, devoted to their family and civic responsibilities. They give generously of their time, energy, and resources. And the world is better for their efforts. But they have chosen not to make covenants with God. They have not received the ordinances that will exalt them with their families and bind them together forever.

How I wish I could visit with them and invite them to consider seriously the enabling laws of the Lord. I’ve wondered what I could possibly say so they would feel how much the Savior loves them and know how much I love them and come to recognize how covenant-keeping women and men can receive a “fulness of joy.”

They need to understand that while there is a place for them hereafter —with wonderful men and women who also chose not to make covenants with God —that is not the place where families will be reunited and be given the privilege to live and progress forever. That is not the kingdom where they will experience the fulness of joy —of never-ending progression and happiness. Those consummate blessings can come only by living in an exalted celestial realm with God, our Eternal Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and our wonderful, worthy, and qualified family members.

Here we see people assuming things will just work out.  Many LDS singles make a similar assumption: Righteousness alone provides the blessings of an eternal family.  I can’t tell you how often I’ve wished that were true.  I’d have shed my single status a long time ago.  But the world our Lord made works a little differently.

Stay on the path

The Lord has taught that “when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated” (D&C 130:21).  If the blessing of temple marriage rested upon righteousness, then righteousness should always result in temple marriage.  Because that’s obviously not true, it follows that righteousness alone is not the law upon which the blessing of temple marriage is predicated.

What then is?  The fundamentals of dating teach that each major step in your journey to temple marriage is essentially an agreement — a mutual decision between you and someone else to take that next step.  How do you secure an agreement?  By being agreeable.  Often that means offering something of value.

How can you make yourself more agreeable?  Righteousness alone doesn’t cut it.  And you won’t get the something more you need if you step off the covenant path.  Doing that makes you less likely to receive the revelation you need to know what that something more is.

So stay on the covenant path.  No other path leads to the temple and the blessings of an eternal family.  By staying on the covenant path, you heed the call of the Master to come and follow Him.  And by following Him, He can more easily bless you with the revelation you need and other tender mercies to support you in your righteous quest.  And that will bring you more joy in your journey.

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You can listen to the monologue from today's episode of Joy In The Journey Radio here.  Please also feel free to continue the conversation by leaving a comment below.  Want to hear more?  Listen to the whole show by going to the show page for this episode.