Young Women Lesson #4 - Preparing to Become an Eternal Companion

Okay, I got this up earlier for many of you out there. Hope it helps.

LESSON

Explain that women today fill a variety of roles. Ask the girls to name the many roles we as women play. List them on the board.

There is one role, however, that most women will take on at some time in their lives and that is a wife. How a young woman fulfills this role will determine to a great extent her own eternal happiness and the happiness of those close to her.

QUOTE:
President Spencer W. Kimball said: “Young women should plan and prepare for marriage and the bearing and rearing of children. It is your divine right and the avenue to the greatest and most supreme happiness” (Ensign, Nov. 1978, p. 103).

I passed out a mock resume for "A. Future Husband." The sections on the resume are career objective, spiritual preparation, education, talents, hobbies/interests, and physical traits. I'll give each of the girls a copy at the beginning of the lesson and have them fill in the sections with qualities they want their future husbands to have. We'll go around the room and share ideas when they are finished, and then I will tell them to cross out the word "husband" at the top and write in the word "wife" so the top line reads "A Future Wife."

Then we will discuss the fact that guys are looking for "qualified" women, too, and that now is the time to prepare. (Idea by Heidi in Oregon)

Let’s be clear, this lesson is not about finding a husband, it is about preparing you/yourself to become a good eternal companion.

Q: How many of you feel prepared right now to be a wife?
Q: For those of you that said no… what do you think you need to learn to become more prepared to be a wife and mother?

GUEST: STEPHANIE CLEVELAND (she was a YW in this ward about 1 ½ years ago and just got married. I asked her to come in and share now that she is married, how she might not have been prepared in some areas of life to be marriage. What came as a surprise to her.

QUOTE: “I tell Young Women… that they should do all in their power to make themselves attractive physically in dress and grooming, mentally in being knowledgeable on many subjects, spiritually in being responsive, emotionally in being genuine and worthy.” Spencer W. Kimball

So, today we are going to discuss how to start being prepared in 5 areas.
1) PHSYICAL 2) MENTAL 3) SPIRITUAL 4) EMOTIONAL 5) SOCIAL

PHYSICAL

Q: What are some thing you can do to become more physically ready as an eternal companion?

Shower, be healthy (eat and exercise), dress appropriately (well groomed), do you hair.

MENTAL

“being knowledgeable in many subjects”. Do well in school. Learn new things (music, arts, books). Learn how to sew, iron, cook, etc.

Q: why is it important to be knowledgeable in many subjects as a wife and mother?

SPIRITUAL

Be temple worthy and ready! Daily Scripture study, close relationship with your Heavenly Father and Jesus. Obedient to the commandments.

QUOTE: “Young women, may I admonish you to participate in a program of daily reading and pondering of the scriptures. … The Book of Mormon will change your life. It will fortify you against the evils of our day. It will bring a spirituality into your life that no other book will. It will be the most important book you will read in preparation for life’s challenges. A young woman who knows and loves the Book of Mormon, who has read it several times, who has an abiding testimony of its truthfulness, and who applies its teachings will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil and will be a mighty tool in the hands of the Lord” (Ezra Taft Benson Ensign, Nov. 1986, p. 82).

EMOTIONAL

Have a strong sense of self-worth/self-esteem. Fully understand that you are a Daughter of God and what that truly means. Boys/men love a girl women who knows herself and is confident in herself. It is one of the biggest attractions (I think for most people). Work on loving yourself and seeing yourself the way Heavenly Father sees you. Be proud of who you are and I promise you life will be so much easier and you will pass that trait onto you kids.

I pray often that Hannah will be confident in herself and she will always know that Heavenly Father and parents loves her. I truly believe that YW wouldn’t give into temptations and make stupid mistakes if they loved themselves more and really KNEW and FELT that their Heavenly Father KNOWS AND LOVES them.

SOCIAL

(For some of you, when you are old enough) – date many people. Learn how to have good conversations. Be a good communicator and listener. Date so you can find out what your likes and dislikes are in the opposite sex (they will change as you get older). Make lots of friends (you want your husband to be your best friend). Dating gives you practice on each of these things.

Someone once said, “There is no time to wait, only time to prepare.” This is especially good counsel when it applies to marriage. Too often young women just wait for marriage instead of preparing while they wait. Explain to the young women that if they are prepared, they will be the kind of people who are attractive to worthy young men.

Each of the young women will marry at a different time. Some will marry shortly after they leave YW and some might take 10 years or so. Use whatever time you have wisely. Share how I was 29 years old when I go married. But that I made the best of those years. I went to college, got a MBA, traveled all over the world, had a blast in the singles wards, made a lot of lifelong friends. And because of all this, I feel I am a good wife, mother and women because I was constantly bettering myself and preparing for that day when I would marry in the temple to a wonderful, righteous man.

If you will prepare yourselves in the areas discussed in this lesson, you will increase your chances of having successful and happy marriages and being a happy, fulfilled daughter of God.

HANDOUT: I created paper fortune cookies with a message inside that says “There is no time to wait, only time to prepare.”