Finding the Standard: Anchoring Our Relationships in the Word

Brothers and sisters, if you’ve been out in the field, or even just wrestling with a tough relationship back home, you know that the stakes are high. We are called to build lives—lives of faith, lives of covenant, and lives of connection. It’s easy, when the noise of the world is loud, to let our standards for what a "good relationship" looks like get set by the fleeting trends of social media or the broken patterns of our past.

I was recently thinking about this, and it brought to mind a message I heard that really resonated with the core of what we teach in the missionary discussions: that the standard for everything—our relationships, our covenants, our discipleship—must come from the eternal gospel. It’s a beautiful reminder that no matter how complicated the situation feels, the foundation doesn't change.

The Power of the Written Word

The speaker emphasized something crucial when discussing how we learn about relationships: the power of the written word. It’s one thing to hear a powerful testimony, or to hear a sermon that hits you right in the spirit. That’s powerful. But there is a longevity, a permanence, in the written word. When the founders wrote the Constitution, they weren't just speaking into the void; they were writing down principles meant to last generations. When prophets write, they are giving us guidance for eternity.

As disciples of the restored gospel, we have access to the most enduring manual ever written—the scriptures. When we approach relationships—whether we are single, dating, married, or navigating the complexities of calling out to our neighbors—we must make the Word of God the primary standard, not the latest viral post.

This isn't meant to be a source of fear, but a source of incredible confidence. Because if God designed relationships, He also provided the instruction manual. And that manual is available to us today.

Being Christlike in All Things

Think about what it means to be Christlike. It's not just about Sunday morning attendance; it's about how we handle the messy, complicated moments when we are alone, or when we are trying to understand someone else's heart. The gospel teaches us that our worth is not determined by our relationship status or our social media feed. Our worth is determined by our covenants and our willingness to keep showing up for the work.

This principle applies everywhere—in the temple, in the ward, and yes, even when we are serving as Internet missionaries in our own homes. We have to be intentional. We have to dig deeper than the surface-level advice.

A Bite-Sized Mission Prep Skill: Asking Better Questions

If you are preparing for mission, or even just having a missionary discussion with a friend, remember that the best questions aren't the ones that demand an immediate "yes." They are the questions that invite the Spirit to testify. Instead of asking, "Are you ready to accept the gospel?" try asking, "What is one thing that makes you feel most connected to something greater than yourself?" This opens the door to the Savior, not just a simple affirmation.

We are all called to be disciples anywhere, all the time. Let’s commit this week to treating our relationships—with our families, our friends, and our Heavenly Father—with the reverence due to covenants, guided by the eternal truths found in the scriptures.

If you want to deepen your study of these principles, I highly recommend diving into the scriptures through the Social Scripture Study layer inside LivingBook. It connects verses to real-life insights, which is perfect for applying gospel principles to modern challenges.

For those of us who are feeling the pull to deepen our understanding of the gospel, I invite you to join a Book Club or a Bible Study Group in HolyPlaces. It’s a wonderful place to wrestle with these big ideas together.

Keep pressing forward, disciples. The Spirit is with us, and the Word is our guide!