I know I should get married eventually, but should I be worrying about it as a young single adult?
In this world of selfies, self-love, and selfishness, young adults are postponing marriage in favor of other activities and personal development. In fact, many young adults are not marrying until they are in their late 20s or early 30s. Due to this trend, some young single adults in their early-to-mid 20s have questions about marriage: How do I know if I am “ready”? Should I worry about it right now? Is it even important anymore? In their recent worldwide devotional for young adults, “Stand for Truth,” President Dallin H. Oaks and his wife, Sister Kristen M. Oaks, address these questions.
Photo by Jonathan Borba
President and Sister Oaks begin by indicating that if we are in our early 20s we need to start the process of getting married, even if the statistics suggest that most of our generation is postponing marriage or avoiding it completely. After President Oaks shares these statistics, he and Sister Oaks explain why marriage is so important.
They indicate that if we postpone marriage, we miss necessary experiences that enable us to grow spiritually. As Sister Oaks comments, “Not only does marriage give us the opportunity for children, but it gives us the opportunity and incentive to begin a journey of growing with one another. We learn to sacrifice and serve as we can in few other ways.” Some of the specific ways President and Sister Oaks indicate we can grow from marriage include an increased level of maturity, more opportunities to serve, and an appreciation for sacrifice. They also mention that marriage helps us grow closer to God. While this spiritual growth may not seem desirable to young single adults outside of the Church, it prepares us to live as forever families in the celestial kingdom, which is our ultimate goal as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Therefore, the sooner we get married, the sooner we start gaining the spiritual growth that we need while we are here in this mortal life and as we progress into the eternities.
Watch or read the full devotional “Stand for Truth” to receive additional counsel from President and Sister Oaks about marriage and other important topics specifically for young adults.
Source: ChurchofJesusChrist.org
—Michael Pulsipher, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY ALEXANDER GREY
Find more insights
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