Today was Monday. Mondays mean FHE (Family Home Evening). I am a co-leader (mom) for FHE. And sometimes, I am amazed at what lessons we come up with. Tonight we had a discussion on what BYU does for us in preparing us to be future leaders. The group, though small tonight because of the ending of the term, came up with some awesome, albeit unexpected, ideas.
The first idea was that BYU helps us during the transitory period between teenager-dumb and adulthood (now being deemed the young-adult years, an actually distinct period of time for us). It helps us to feel included and understood in a world where everyone is questioning who they are and where their values lie.
Second, it keeps us in the church and active in the Gospel. Too often, we see young adults falling away once they are out of the reach of their parents physical grasp. One young man served his mission in Finland, and did clerical work for the church while he was there. He said that only 1/3 of the young adults stay active there, regardless of service as a missionary.
Third, BYU is here for us to find our eternal companions. I thought this was a kind of duh moment, but we took a new spin on it. Going along with the idea of being active we thought of why having an active spouse would help you stay active. Support, a solid example and lessened loneliness. This is something that worries me here. I see too many people (myself included) who don't reach out to others enough, and therefore many people are struggling with loneliness. The questions of "Am I forgotten?" ring in the ears of many people. Marriage is not a cure-all for loneliness, however I'm guessing it helps.
Sounds like a research topic to me!
1 comment:
Very interesting and insightful! I would say from my experience that these ideas could also be true anywhere there is an Institute program or a Center for Young Adults (see this months Ensign article!).
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