Seeing God’s Family through the Overview Lens
Tamara W. Runia, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
Sister Tamara W. Runia teaches how to see family relationships through an eternal lens, offering hope and love.
Open talk in Gospel LibraryIdeas for Opening the Lesson
- Begin by sharing an experience when you had to shift your perspective to see the bigger picture in a situation. Discuss how this change in perspective affected your understanding and feelings about the situation.
- Ask the class to share any experiences they've had where changing their perspective helped them to understand or appreciate something in a new way. Use these examples to introduce the concept of viewing our lives and families through an "overview lens".
- Start with a discussion about the "overview effect" experienced by astronauts in space. Discuss how seeing the earth from a distance can change one's perspective and understanding of the world. Connect this to the need for us to view our lives and families from an eternal perspective.
Topics
Seeing with an Eye of Faith
Sister Runia discusses the concept of seeing with an "eye of faith". She suggests that we can view ourselves and our families with hope and joy by looking at the big picture, rather than focusing on immediate problems or challenges.
Is it possible to begin to see as God sees even while living on the surface of this planet—to feel this overview feeling? I believe we can, through the eye of faith, zoom out and view ourselves and our families with hope and joy.
- What does it mean to you to see with an "eye of faith"?
- How can this perspective help us in our relationships with our families?
- Can you share an experience when seeing with an "eye of faith" helped you in a difficult situation?
- How can we cultivate this "eye of faith" in our daily lives?
- What are some ways we can help others to develop this perspective?
Choosing Hope over Worry
Sister Runia shares her personal experience of how her father's hopeful approach during her rough patch in high school changed her. She emphasizes the importance of choosing hope over worry in our interactions with family members.
But my dad was more practiced at zooming out and taking the long view. He’d learned from experience that worry feels a lot like love, but it’s not the same. He used the eye of faith to see that everything would work out, and his hopeful approach changed me.
- How can we differentiate between worry and hope in our interactions with our loved ones?
- Can you share a time when choosing hope over worry made a difference in a relationship or situation?
- Why is it important to maintain hope, especially when dealing with family challenges?
- How can we foster a sense of hope in our families and homes?
- What are some ways we can demonstrate hope to our loved ones who might be struggling?
The Power of Encouragement and Positive Words
Sister Runia emphasizes the power of positive words and encouragement in our interactions with family members. She suggests that our words can be a superpower, and should be hopeful and encouraging.
Our words are one of our superpowers, and family members are like human blackboards, standing in front of us saying, “Write what you think of me!” These messages, whether intentional or unintentional, should be hopeful and encouraging.
- How have positive words or encouragement affected you in your life?
- Can you share an example of a time when someone's words had a significant impact on you?
- What are some ways we can use our words to uplift and encourage our loved ones?
- How can we ensure that our words are hopeful and encouraging, even in difficult situations?
- How can we use our words to help our family members see themselves through an "overview lens"?
Family Relationships as a Vehicle for Learning
Sister Runia views family relationships as a powerful vehicle to teach us the lessons we came here to learn. She suggests that even difficult interactions can be opportunities to learn how to love at a deeper level.
Let’s zoom out to view family relationships as a powerful vehicle to teach us the lessons we came here to learn as we turn to the Savior.
- How have your family relationships helped you learn and grow?
- Can you share an example of a difficult interaction that led to personal growth or understanding?
- How can we approach challenging moments in our families with a learning mindset?
- Why is it important to view family relationships as a vehicle for learning?
- What are some ways we can support each other in our families as we learn and grow together?
The Importance of Love and Patience
Sister Runia emphasizes the importance of love and patience in our interactions with family members. She suggests that love is the thing that changes hearts and encourages us to exercise God's love rather than judgment.
Love is the thing that changes hearts. It is the purest motive of all, and others can feel it. Let’s hold fast to these prophetic words offered 50 years ago: “No home is a failure unless it quits trying.” Surely, those who love the most and the longest win!
- Why is love so critical in our interactions with family members?
- Can you share an example of a time when love changed a situation or relationship?
- How can we show love and patience to our family members, especially when it's difficult?
- What are some ways we can exercise God's love in our interactions with our families?
- How can we continue to love and try, even when things are challenging?
Additional Discussion Questions
- How can we better cultivate an 'overview lens' in our day-to-day lives?
- What are some practical ways we can demonstrate hope to our loved ones?
- How can we ensure that our words and actions are helpful rather than hurtful?
- How can we better utilize our family relationships as a learning laboratory?
- What are some ways we can show love and patience in our families, even in challenging times?
- How can we help our loved ones see themselves through an 'overview lens'?
- In what ways can we support each other in our families as we learn and grow together?
- How can we approach challenging family situations with a learning mindset?
- What are some practical ways we can exercise God's love rather than judgment in our interactions with family members?
- How can we continue to love and try, even when things are challenging in our families?
