“Lesson 11 Teacher Material: Choosing an Eternal Companion,” The Eternal Family Teacher Material (2022)
“Lesson 11 Teacher Material,” The Eternal Family Teacher Material
Lesson 11 Teacher Material
Choosing an Eternal Companion
The Lord wants to help us in our efforts to find an eternal companion. In this lesson, students will explain how they can exercise faith in Jesus Christ as they make efforts to build relationships with members of the opposite sex and get married. Students will also be invited to select Christlike attributes they can strive to develop that will help them prepare for an eternal marriage or be better suited to an eternal marriage.
Suggestions for Teaching
The Lord expects us to act with faith in Him as we seek an eternal companion.
Divide the class into small groups, and designate a leader for each group. Provide each student with part 1 of the following scenario and the questions that follow. Instruct students to read the scenario aloud together and discuss the questions. (If possible, you might want to send part 1 of the scenario to students sometime before class so they can come having read and thought about it.)
Note: Consider ways you can adapt the scenario to make it more relevant to students’ circumstances, questions, or culture.
After students have had sufficient time to discuss the scenario and questions, invite a few of them to share what they learned or felt during their discussions. As students share you might help them identify truths similar to the following: Faith in Jesus Christ will help us have courage and patience in our efforts to find an eternal companion. God expects us to use our agency to further His plan. Consider writing on the board the truths students identify.
Developing Christlike qualities and seeking revelation will help us prepare to marry.
Provide each student with part 2 of the scenario. Instruct them to read it and discuss in their groups the questions that follow.
Scenario, Part 2
The Eternal Family Teacher Material—Lesson 11
After an institute lesson on eternal marriage, Luis and Emma both feel impressed to make some changes and trust in the Lord more. When Luis arrives for institute class the next week, he sits next to Emma and introduces himself. Over time they become good friends. They plan lots of activities that allow them to spend time together and learn about each other. In time, they develop strong feelings for each other.
Emma has some concerns, though. She has a list of qualities she wants in a husband. Luis has many of these qualities, but not all of them.
Luis also begins to feel nervous. He loves Emma, but having watched his own parents’ marriage dissolve, he fears making a mistake in choosing whom to marry. He carefully considers everything he has learned about Emma from their many conversations and experiences together. He feels that their goals align and wants to ask Emma to marry him, but there are still so many unknown factors. Luis prays for a sign that Emma is the right choice. So far, nothing has happened.
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Reflect on what you learned from section 2 of the preparation material. What could help Emma in her approach to what she is looking for in a potential spouse? What problems can we face if our expectations of a potential spouse are too low or too high?
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What might be helpful for Luis to understand about his fears? What might be helpful for him to understand about receiving revelation? (You may want to review section 3 of the preparation material.)
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What activities or experiences can help two people develop a friendship and learn more about each other’s qualities, personality, and values? What are one or two qualities of the Savior that you hope to develop in preparation for marriage or as you continue in your marriage?
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Scenario, Part 2
After sufficient time, invite a few students to share what they learned or felt during their discussions.
Review any of the material in sections 2 and 3 of the preparation material that students may benefit from. You might specifically identify the following truths: We marry potential, not perfection. If you hope an eternal companion possesses certain spiritual qualities, seek to develop them yourself. If we seek the Lord’s guidance in our decisions, He will speak peace to our minds and we will feel when our choices are right.
If there are married students in your class, you might invite one or two of them to share their experiences with any of these truths. If you are married, consider sharing your own experience as well. Testify of the Lord’s desire to help students in their journey to find an eternal companion.
You might ask students if they have any questions related to today’s lesson. If they do, spend some time discussing their questions as a class. Then give students a few minutes at the end of class to record any impressions they may have felt about their own situations. Invite them to determine how they can continue to exercise their faith in the Lord in their dating efforts or what they might need to do to exercise more faith in Him.
For Next Time
Invite students to prepare for the next class by studying the preparation material and asking a happily married couple how they nurture their marriage and keep their relationship strong.