Elder Richard G. Scott answers questions asked by young single adults
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BOUNTIFUL, UTAH
Engaging a large congregation of young single adults in an interactive fireside Sunday evening, Oct. 18, Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve discussed various topics, including relationships and marriage.
Those single adults ages 18-30 gathered from 24 stakes in northern Utah nearly filled the Bountiful Regional Center to capacity. The energy in the hall increased as microphones were passed among members of the congregation.
Elder Scott opened his counsel by commenting on lessons of life he has learned that he had individuals read as they were projected on a large screen. Then he opened up the meeting for the young single adults to ask him questions.
He closed by speaking specifically to the women and men about relationships and marriage before bearing fervent testimony of the Savior.
The theme of finding a worthy marriage companion was a common thread throughout the evening, and Elder Scott spoke specifically about the topic at the end of the question/answer portion.
He told the women, "Don't give up hope. Keep your standards high so that the Lord can guide you." He continued, "As you are worthy to have a worthy husband, you will have one. Unfortunately, I don't know whether it's on this side of the veil or the other side of the veil. But that is so important in an eternal span of things. Live to be worthy. Don't compromise any standard and the Lord will guide you to a companion that you will be most pleased to have. My heart goes to you sisters because you don't have control like the young men have. Prayerfully, live worthily and the promises that the prophets have made for you will be realized."
With a touch of humor that delighted the congregation, Elder Scott said he would like to take the young men by the lapels and shake them "for wasting so much time hanging out." He added forcefully, "Get on with life. Try to identify as your first priority finding a worthy eternal companion and work at it. Don't just coast through this period of your life. It goes by too rapidly.
"President [Spencer W.] Kimball said there probably are no soul mates, meaning that two people are absolutely matched to each other. If you love someone well enough, you begin to work on it together. You can form an extraordinarily wonderful courtship and marriage and be very, very happy eternally by staying within the bounds the Lord has set and by trusting that He will lead you to someone that you can have happiness with."
Following are some of the nuggets Elder Scott spoke on among the "lessons of a lifetime" he shared and the answers he gave to individual questions.
He noted that the Lord knows a person's real intents in life. He said, "Not always are we able to do what we intended, and when that is beyond our own ability because of the circumstances we live in, He will judge us on what we would have done had those circumstances permitted us to do what we want to do."
Of Satan, he said, "He is a consummate bluff, just extraordinarily able to make people think he has power he doesn't have. ... I know that a determined person, one who is living righteously and can call on the power of the Lord to help, can avoid any encounters with that evil one. That requires righteous living; it requires faith in the powers of Jesus Christ, but it can be done. I know positively that is true. If he had power over our agency, he would have used it long ago. That ought to give you a lot of courage when things look difficult around you and when temptations come. Just turn them down. He has no power over a righteous person."
Responding to a question about finding answers to important questions in life, Elder Scott said, "You'll find out that some of the most important questions that you ask the Lord aren't answered right away. ... You grow when you ask and continue to search out what you can do to try to find an answer. What can you do to help the Lord answer something that's puzzling you or something that's very important to have an answer to?"
Then, responding to a similar question, he said, "Talk to the Lord, let Him know how you feel." "Prayer is a magnificent gift Heavenly Father has given us. We can find the answers to things that most puzzle us. We tend to be a generation that wants immediate response. That often is not the Lord's way. We learn good lessons by struggling, taking time to get an answer."
When asked what he would most like to tell the young single adults, Elder Scott answered, "That the Savior loves you. He knows all of your challenges and He knows the answers. But you're going to need to work to get the answer because He wants you to grow. If you immediately got an answer to every question you asked, you would turn out to have no character. ... By working hard, you grow. ... The Savior loves you. He will guide you. But He will have you work for it."
