Conference Talk of the Week

Overview

President Rosemary K. Chibota builds this talk around the southern African greeting sawubona, which means "I see you" and tells the other person that they have worth and that they matter. She shows how Jesus Christ truly saw people, including the man at the pool of Bethesda who had been passed by for 38 years. Then she asks disciples to pray to see others as He sees them and to treat them that way, often starting with something as simple as learning a person's name. In the second half she turns to how we see ourselves. Worldly labels never capture who we are, because our identity as children of God is something we inherit, not something we earn, and through His grace Jesus Christ can lift us above every label.

Three Key Takeaways

• 1The Savior saw people where others saw only labels. At the pool of Bethesda, many had walked past a man who had suffered for 38 years, but Jesus saw him, ministered to him, and healed him.
• 2Helping someone feel seen can start small. The talk's example is a school janitor who said, "Very few students know my name. Your daughter sees me," because President Chibota's daughter greeted him by name and helped him clean up.
• 3Seeing others as God sees them is something to pray for. When President Chibota prayed about an isolated coworker and acted on simple promptings to include him, Heavenly Father guided her to someone who felt unseen, and their friendship grew.

Reflection Questions

• Who in your daily routine might feel the way the janitor did, known by their job but not by their name?
• Which labels shape the way you see yourself right now, and what changes when you put "child of God" ahead of them?
• Think of a time someone truly saw you. How did their notice help you feel that God was aware of you?