The Best Dating Advice From The October 2026 General Conference

Do you go to General Conference with really specific questions? I do.

And they are always about relationships. It’s just what happens when you’re perpetually single in a home-centered church. 

While it always a tender mercy when the questions and topics that weigh on your heart are addressed directly, answers can still be found when we look for them with help of the Holy Ghost. As I listened to the October 2026 General Conference, I looked for advice that could help me with dating and forming lasting covenant relationships. Here’s what I found and I hope it helps you if are looking for guidance as a single member of the Church. 

Temple Sealings Require Sacrifice

“Over the years, when temples were distant, faithful members sacrificed to be sealed in the temple. Some members could come to the temple only once or twice in their lives. Some cases once in a year. Today, as temples come closer in many places, we can manifest the precious spirit of temple sacrifice in new ways.” – Elder Gerrit W. Gong

In modern dating culture, we can be inwardly focused. It’s wise to have healthy boundaries and look for partners who want to treat you as the Savior does. However, it is pretty easy for us to start thinking only of ourselves and what we want from another person. Elder Gong’s words about “the spirit of temple sacrifice” reminds us that we can shift our perspective. 

When we can show sacrificial love for the people we care about, we help them feel the love of Jesus Christ. If our efforts are reciprocated and honored, the safety and joy of covenantal connection grows. Sacrificing in a relationship may look like:

• Actively listening when our natural inclination is to talk more
• Being open to things our partner/friend likes or enjoys
• Making room in our schedule for quality time when we’re busy

The Holy Ghost may also want to prompt us to make sacrifices in our lives so we are more prepared for dating. 

God Can Work With Impossible Timelines

“No mortal timeline can place us beyond Christ’s power to deliver.” – Elder Kevin J. Hathaway

Sometimes when I look at the circumstances of my singlehood, everything feels impossible. It’s like time has run out and there aren’t any chances left. I don’t know what you’ve faced, but I bet you can relate. Is your fertility fading? Are you embarrassed that you’re in your 40s and have never had a serious relationship? Do you feel like you’re just getting less attractive with every year that passes? 

Elder Hathaway reminds us that that God is in control. If you’re like me and looking at your situation from a mortal view, we can ask for God’s help in seeing a bigger picture. We can trust that He has us in the palm of His hand. It hurts to admit that this doesn’t necessarily mean all of our dreams will come true, but it also doesn’t mean there isn’t still a reason to hope. God is a God of miracles and doing unexpected things at unexpected times.

One thing that has helped me when I feel overwhelmed by the “realities” of my singlehood is to try and discern what the purpose of this spot in my timeline is. Where can I find purpose right now? 

United in Purpose

“Though opposite in personality, they became united in purpose, assigned together by divine design.” – Elder Sean Douglas

Elder Douglas shared this quote about a missionary who overcame challenges on his mission to serve the Lord with all his heart, including serving with one companion for eight months. I think it is relevant for many of our relationships, including in dating. 

We often have preconceived notions about who we are compatible with. I once had a stake president say that his biggest piece of advice to young single adults is that they make very quick judgements on who they can fall in love with. The more I interact with others and date, the more I see wisdom in looking for shared values and gospel goals than personality traits. 

Being united in purpose, especially when that purpose is centered on Jesus Christ, knits the heart together like nothing else can. Be prayerful and look for those people God has put in your life by divine design, even if you don’t seem to have a lot in common. 

Placed On Your Path

“All we had to do was see the person God had placed in our path, look with compassion, rather than judgment, and then act.” – President Timothy L. Farnes

This is a second witness from President Farnes that no one is in our life on accident. Out of all the billions of people on the planet, do you think the people who work with, the people you serve with, the people you develop friendships with, the people in your ward, are on accident?

Slow down and ask yourself, who is in my life and why? Maybe no one is your future spouse, but there are lessons to be learned and growth to experience. Some of the relationships you nurture now might be exactly what you need to prepare for marriage. 

A Calming Influence

“Love relies upon the calming influence of the Holy Ghost.” – Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Elder Rasband gave so many great descriptors of what love is through the lens of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was hard to pick just one, but this stood out to me. 

I can get really worked up over my dating life. There is a lot of anxiety and desperation that fills me up. My decisions can be impacted and these negative emotions can overrule my sensitivity to the Spirit. But love needs calm to flourish and there is no better calm than the peace afforded by the Holy Ghost. 

For me, I want to try and do a better job of disconnecting with the world and connecting with the Savior. When all the craziness of dating hits, I can seek godly solutions first.

Saying “I Love You”

“Saying ‘I love you’ with a pure and sincere heart is a way of bearing testimony of Jesus Christ. Whenever we express Christlike love to those around us, we bear witness of Him, the source of all perfect love.” – Elder Gérald Caussé

Elder Caussé reminds us that the words “I love you” are not just important, but they are powerful. I never connected it before that when I tell someone I love them, it bears testimony of Jesus Christ. It makes me want to speak my love with more intention and frequency. 

Everyone we interact with, including those we go on dates with, want to feel loved. If helping those we date feel of Christ’s love becomes our goal, knowing of course that not every date ends with us wanting another one, I think we’ll feel more peace and joy as we date. 

The Holy Spirit of Promise

“The sealing ordinance includes two fundamental and related parts: one, the eternal union of a man and a woman in marriage, what may be understood as a lateral sealing; and two, the sealing of the husband and wife into God’s eternal family and the linking of humankind through all generations, what may be understood as a vertical sealing.
Both elements of the ordinance are vital.”

“The intended and prayed-for outcomes of a temple sealing between a man and a woman include a lifetime of spiritual growth, marital devotion, fidelity, working together to overcome the uncertainties and challenges of mortality, and enduring happiness.”

“Sometimes, unfortunately, the intended and prayed-for outcomes do not happen. A spouse’s sins, infidelity, personal apostasy, or other difficulties may cause contention, alienation, and even divorce. In these cases, a faithful spouse may ask, ‘Can the unrighteous exercise of moral agency by another person rob me of what God has promised?’ To this question, the answer is an emphatic no. No!” – Elder David A. Bednar

So, all of Elder Bednar’s talk is worth reviewing for those interesting in dating and relationships. I feel like the quote above covers some of his most important points: 

• The Holy Spirit of Promise in the sealing creates both a lateral and vertical sealing
• The blessings of righteous marriage, including enduring happiness
• That no one can take away what God has promised you

So many are held back from eternal relationships because of the agency of others. I love that Elder Bednar so empathetically taught that unrighteous actions of another person cannot remove the power of God’s promises from your life. No matter what you’ve faced or how you’ve been hurt, God will keep His promises as you strive to keep your covenants. 

More Than a Desire

“Strong faith requires more than strong desire. It means daily trying.” – President Dallin H. Oaks

We are all filled with a desire to be married. It is important that we don’t give up trying. Satan attacks our agency and prevents us from forming relationships with intention and clarity.

I know how hard it can be when you feel like you’ve done everything you can. You don’t know what else to do. I feel that way a lot of the time. Keep turning to Christ hour by hour, minute by minute, for small actions that will change your day and eventually your life. 

Want to join me as I have some much-needed conversations about dating? Click here.

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