Teaching Sunday School

I'm Mormon. In my church we have different wards, or congregations, for young single adults, or those singles ages 18-31. Don't believe what anyone else tells you about these wards; they have 3 purposes:

1. To teach us about Christ.
2. To help save and reach out to other singles.
3. To get us married.

Getting married, for us, is kind of a big deal. Case in point: I teach the Marriage and Family Relationships Sunday School class. To the singles ward. 

It has turned into the Dating Sunday School class.

Because I believe in marriage, I think that everyone in my ward should come to my class. I am also super glad when the classroom seems too small or when people comment that we need a larger classroom.

Today I had an interesting experience teaching a lesson that I prepared last week.

Me planning the lesson (based on the talk, "Dating vs. Hanging Out" by Dallin H. Oaks) went something like this:

1. Immediately get worked up about the subject.
2. Take a step back because I realized I'm getting angry and know I can't plan lessons for church when I'm angry or upset.
3. Clean my mother's kitchen because I need something to do.
4. Realize I was getting upset because I am actually contributing to the hangout culture instead of the dating culture.
5. Think about it all day.
6. Pray at the end of the day and ask God to tell me what are the things I do that contribute to the hangout culture.
7. Expect the answers to come the next day during church because I get a lot of answers during church.
8. Have a conversation with God that goes like this:
     Me: so I guess I'll ask this question during church tomorrow.
     God: well I have the answers right now. So the first thing--
     Me: Wha--right now?! WAIT! Hold on! I need a pencil and paper. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Okay go.
     God: here are 4 very specific things you are personally doing to contribute to the hangout culture.
     Me after writing them down: oh wow. Ok. Great. Umm. I guess I need to figure out some solutions to those 4 things. I guess that will be my question I take to church.
     God: I have the answers now. The first thing--.
     Me: WAIT! I NEED MY PENCIL!
     Me: okay go.
     God: here are 4 very specific and personal to you answers that correspond exactly with the 4 things you are doing wrong.
     Me after writing these down: woo that's a lot to take in. Ok. Wow. Thank you.
     Me: do you have anything else you want me to know?
     God: yes. Use this experience in your class. Have them go through this same process. I am very willing to talk to my children.
     Me: ok. Got that down. I will do that. Do you want to tell me anything else?
     God: Yes. I am very passionate about this subject. I want my children to get married and they need my help to do so. Tell them that in class.
     Me: Oh. I will do that. Do you want to tell me anything else that I should tell my class?
     God: I love my children.
     God: I want them to be happy.

So I ended up teaching this lesson to my Sunday school class and it went exactly as I planned it. We began by reading part of the talk and then I told them they were going to pray individually and ask what they were doing to contribute to the hangout culture and what they should be doing instead. They immediately got on the defensive and tried to split hairs until someone in the class asked if I'd share one of my specifics.

I said, "Sure." And shared the 4 things I was doing wrong and the 4 solutions.

The class was silent.

"You may begin," I told them.

They pulled out their phones to take notes, bowed their heads individually, and began recording their own answers.

God, as it turns out, is very willing to talk to His children. Especially when He wants them to learn something.

At the very end of the lesson I told my class the exact words that God told me: I love my children. I want them to be happy. There was so much feeling when He said it to me. There was so much love. How could I convey that to my class in just words?

I ended by saying that He's passionate about the subject and that He said, "I love my children. I want them to be happy." As though that were the most important way to end the lesson. As though that were the only way to end the lesson. After all, when He spoke to me that was how He ended.

So I'll end with it here: every person on Earth is God's child. He loves you. He wants you to be happy.