“Belonging in God’s Plan and in the Temple,” Liahona, Mar. 2025.
Belonging in God’s Plan and in the Temple
Three principles remind us that we all can receive the blessings God offers His children.
Photograph of Barranquilla Colombia Temple by Leslie Nilsson
I sat in a group of members of the Church. We had never met each other before, but we all had one thing in common: we were single.
Now, I want to back up for a second. In the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are not defined by labels. Our true identity, President Russell M. Nelson taught, is that we are “literally spirit children of God.” I understand that out of necessity we call some members of the Church single. There are practical reasons for that. But sometimes, as seemed to be the case in this situation, it can contribute to making members feel like outsiders. It may even make it difficult for them to feel fully included in God’s blessings of salvation and exaltation.
You see, we were talking about the temple—and some people in the group felt that being single excluded them from receiving a fulness of temple blessings. I understand; when you aren’t married in a family-centered Church, it can be hard to see how you fit in. But I also know that the Lord does not judge whether a person is worthy to receive promised blessings based on outward appearances or labels. He “looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7) and makes His blessings available to all who choose to follow Him. I believe this with my whole heart. So, with that in mind, here are three principles to help Latter-day Saints who are single know that they belong in God’s plan and in the temple.
1. God designed His plan for each of His children.
Because the new and everlasting covenant of marriage is needed for exaltation, it may seem that God’s plan wasn’t made for those who are single (see Doctrine and Covenants 131:1–3). But Elder Patrick Kearon taught: “Our Father’s beautiful plan, even His ‘fabulous’ plan, is designed to bring you home, not to keep you out. No one has built a roadblock and stationed someone there to turn you around and send you away. In fact, it is the exact opposite. God is in relentless pursuit of you. He ‘wants all of His children to choose to return to Him,’ and He employs every possible measure to bring you back.”
God does not intend to send away those who are single from enjoying the blessings He offers. President M. Russell Ballard (1928–2023), Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught, “Scriptures and latter-day prophets confirm that everyone who is faithful in keeping gospel covenants will have the opportunity for exaltation.” Each soul has great worth in Heavenly Father’s eyes—so much so that He sent His Only Begotten Son to die and redeem us all from sin so we may have the gift of eternal life (see John 3:16–17; Doctrine and Covenants 18:10–12).
If life unfolds differently than expected, we may find ourselves questioning our purpose in God’s plan. Yet His plan never guaranteed our lives would all look the same. We don’t know what joys, frustrations, successes, or heartache may come our way. President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, said, “There is so much we do not know that our only sure reliance is to trust in the Lord and His love for His children.”
We may not know why our path looks the way it does right now. But trusting in God and in His love may bring clarity about how He designed His plan for all His children—including you.
Photograph inside the Rome Italy Temple Visitors’ Center by Massimo Criscione
2. The temple holds personal blessings for everyone.
We might think of sealings as applying only to a husband and wife. But in addition to uniting couples with the Lord, sealings unite families forever. Through sealings, all of God’s children can enjoy eternal blessings if they keep their covenants.
The sealing power validates all priesthood ordinances in heaven and on earth. Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “[The sealing power] makes individual salvation and family exaltation universally available to the children of God wherever and whenever they may have lived on the earth. No other theology or philosophy or authority can match such an all-inclusive opportunity. This sealing power is a perfect manifestation of the justice, mercy, and love of God.” The blessings the Lord offers are so all-inclusive that they are available to everyone who will make and keep covenants with Him.
We may better understand how God’s plan is all-inclusive as we worship in the house of the Lord. Spending time in the temple, President Nelson taught, “will help you to think celestial and to catch a vision of who you really are, who you can become, and the kind of life you can have forever.” He also explained that worshipping in the temple will give us protection, a stronger testimony, comfort, personal revelation, increased knowledge and power, and a greater understanding of God’s plan.
Whether we are married or single, the temple holds personal spiritual privileges for all of us—it is a place that strengthens and empowers all who desire closeness to God. For more, see the sidebar “Empowered by Temple Worship.”
3. In the temple, we can deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ.
In the temple, the main focus is Jesus Christ. He is the center of God’s plan and is the reason we all can receive salvation and exaltation. President Nelson taught: “The house of the Lord is a house of learning. There the Lord teaches in His own way. There each ordinance teaches about the Savior. There we learn how to part the veil and communicate more clearly with heaven. There we learn how to rebuke the adversary and draw upon the Lord’s priesthood power to strengthen us and those we love. How eager each of us should be to seek refuge there.”
We can find refuge and belonging in the temple by looking for the Savior in the ordinances and covenants. In doing so, we will find evidence that He loves us and that “all are alike unto God” (see 2 Nephi 26:33). Because of His love for us, He wants us to form “everlasting ties” with Him and receive access to a “special kind of love and mercy” through our covenants. If we make and keep temple covenants, we can strengthen our relationship with Him, bringing us “hope, joy, and optimism throughout our lives”—whatever our circumstances.