Sunday Report from April 10th RS Presidency Lesson
Three questions were posed for contemplation and short written answers from the sisters: What does it mean to have an Eternal Perspective? What helps you keep an Eternal Perspective? How does having an Eternal Perspective help you? – we will come 
I love standing atop an overlook and taking in the view. I have been to many places, where I have stood on top of the world, seeing for hundreds of miles. From the 39,999 feet in the air, mountain 
What does it mean to have an Eternal Perspective?
Sisters answers: Having and Eternal Perspective is “to know I can return home again”, “Having an Eternal Perspective means that all decisions (and even the way we view the world around us) are shaped and determined by our understanding that life is eternal and by our desire to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father”, “Having and eternal perspective means knowing what matters and what matters less”
Having an eternal perspective – is having God’s perspective. In the early church the symbol of the “all seeing eye” was used on the Salt Lake Temple and in tabernacles (it is also seen on our US one dollar bills). This symbol represented God’s ability to see all. The illustration below shows the difference in how we see vs. how God sees. God’s perspective is not limited like ours. We see only our present moment, even our personal pasts and future plans are fuzzy to 
“Perspective is the ability to see things in their true relationship.” Young Women Manual 3, Lesson 22: Eternal Perspective
“The nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1938], p. 51).
What helps us see things as they really are? Elder LeGrand Richards said: “God bless you to realize where you came from and the great privileges that are yours. If the veil were rolled back and you could just see one glimpse of God’s great eternal plan concerning you and who you are, it would not be hard for you to love Him, keep His commandments, and live to be worthy of every blessing that He has had for you since before the foundations of the world were laid” (“Patriarchal Blessings,” New Era, Feb. 1977, p. 7).
“An eternal perspective gives us more than eyesight—it allows us to look within ourselves and understand what is truly important.” A Sense of Perspective, Carol B. Olsen, June 1982 Ensign
“When we understand the great plan of happiness, we are gaining an eternal perspective, and the commandments, ordinances, covenants, and the experiences, trials, and tribulations can be seen in their true and eternal light.” “Those without an eternal perspective, or those who lose sight of it, make their own standards to benefit themselves and their own selfish interests. Their mortal perspective becomes their standard and for some their god.” May 2000, Ensign, Keep an Eternal Perspective Jay E. Jensen
What helps you keep an Eternal Perspective?
Sisters answers: Read Scriptures, Pray, Fast, Ponder the Doctrine, Hold a Temple Recommend, Go to the Temple regularly, Attend Church, morning prayer, “read and re-read your patriarchal blessing”, “contemplate the atonement – the knowledge that the Lord went through all things for us”, “My choices day to day. What kind of music am I listening to, my language, my thoughts. If I am choosing clean thoughts and actions, I have an eternal perspective”
Keeping ourselves with in the parameters the Lord sets, helps us to make and continue to make good choices. Also knowing that we are not alone in this, we have the help of Gospel teachings and leaders and the Love and guidence of orur Heavenly Father, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and hte Hoy Ghost. We are also promised wonderful blessings to look forward to – to help us look beyond our moment. D&C 122: 7 “…know thou, my [child], that all these things shall give thee eexperience, and shall be for thy good.” D&C 121: 7-8 “My [child], apeace be unto thy soul; thine badversity and thine afflictions shall be but a csmall moment; And then, if thou aendure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy bfoes.”
How does having an Eternal Perspective help you?
Sisters answers: It helps me… “to have not doubt, no fear – to have peace and comfort even in a world of turmoil “, It helps me stay focused on my goals in life and to keep Christ with me”, “I live a better life, be a better person”, “In my trials and struggles, it helps to focus not on what’s immediately in front of you but further down the road. Or look at the bigger picture – it helps while working through”, “Helps me make righteous decisions, even when it is not easy or convenient”, “It gives me substance”, “Helps me to know why I am here, where I am going, and the Savior's plan for me”, “Change bad habits, Realize what’s important”, “I am better able to prioritize my time and focus on the essential, the necessary and good”, “It helps me on the straight and narrow path, It helps me in my decisions, thoughts, and conduct”, “Life is crazy & stressful! There are more demands then we can possibly live up to. Having and Eternal Perspective helps weed through some of the busy stuff and try to focus my energy on what is truly important. It is still hard but coming to church, reading the scriptures & prayer helps!” “ When I pray it helps to know that God is there to help.” “My faith helps me to keep positive about my future. My faith in God the Father and the Son.” “to be closer with our Heavenly Father, to do his work, both spiritually and physically”, “[While dealing with a death in the family] Having and Eternal Perspective helped me cope. I know we’ll be together again, for eternity, what a blessing. Having an Eternal Perspective made me stronger.”, “Helps me focus on the Savior. Helps me to remember I am really Heavenly Father’s daughter and I am a lot like Him – it is possible for me to become just like Him”, “I can see the good side of every situation or thing”,
An Eternal perspective also helps us to view others as He does. God loves all his children. Certainly our perspective or view of people change as we get to know someone better, knowing their situation and their story, knowing them as we serve them we are able to understand them more and increase our view to God’s perspective of that person. This is an amazing blessing from magnifying our visiting teaching calling.
In Samuel Chapter 1 we see an example of Eli’s perspective of Hannah change, after assuming she was drunk, and telling her to put away her wine - he learned why she was emotional she was actually pouring her heart out to the Lord in the Temple because she wanted to have a child. He promised her she would have a child, she was blessed to have Samuel, who became a prophet. We do not know the reasons behind some actions, it is important for us to not pass judgment. We can be blest to know how God see His sons and daughters if we ask Him, and as we serve, love, and forgive them.
What can we do to help us cultivate and maintain an eternal perspective? Carol B. Olsen shares with us in an Ensign article from 1982 Five Senses we can rely on to help us in this ongoing pursuit. Article excerpts:
“…I was in a turmoil. Anyone who crossed my path at school or at home, had to listen to my frustrations and concerns. But finally I began to settle down, and when I did I saw that my reaction had been out of proportion. I had lost my sense of perspective. Our goal had been to keep our home life harmonious and as calm as possible, especially in view of all the social changes we were facing in the world. But my attitude was defeating that purpose. This realization was a beginning, and I quickly worked to restore a measure of good sense.
In trying to understand what an eternal perspective is and how to cultivate one, I have learned to rely on five “senses” other than the usual five physical senses. I call these a sense of humor, a sense of time, a sense of faith, a sense of vision, and a sense of love.
The first, a sense of humor, is frequently undervalued, but I have found it essential to survival. Apparently so have others. Humor helps us maintain perspective. This involves seeing the amusing side of even the bleakest situation. One writer defined comedy as “tragedy plus time,” which is another way of saying that things look differently from a clearer perspective.Humor can relieve tension, give insight, and help us see things in their proper and hopefully more eternal perspective.
Just as the senses of taste and smell are intertwined until it becomes difficult to tell which one is doing the sensing, so are the senses I call a sense of time and a sense of faith. A sense of time requires patience, long-suffering, and a discipline and control that comes from within rather than being imposed from without. Faith is the positive motivating force which gives purpose and direction to the sense of time. President Hugh B. Brown once observed that he never could set his watch to the Lord’s timetable. I suspect most of us have that problem, too often operating according to day-to-day expediencies. We get a glimpse of the Lord’s timetable in the Doctrine and Covenants where he comforts the Prophet Joseph Smith, imprisoned many months in Liberty Jail: “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment.” (D&C 121:7.) The Prophet’s adversity undoubtedly seemed longer than a moment to him. From my even more limited perspective, my afflictions surely do. But when I want to rail against fate or apparent injustices, I recall that I too have been admonished to “endure it well.” (D&C 121:8.) The Lord’s perspective is wider and loftier than ours. The scriptures say he knows “the end from the beginning.” (Abr. 2:8.) We do not. But we can, to the best of our mortal ability, try with faith and courage to see a wider and higher view. In so doing we will have greater opportunity to commune with the spirit of goodness and light and love which comes from our Savior.
These senses of time and faith can stretch as wide as eternity, but they may also be as small as a minute. In other words, sometimes what we need to focus on and develop an appreciation of is the present: what is happening just now. Savor those moments of present which we too often ignore. Others who have been near to death also testify that indeed the sky is bluer and the sound of laughter sweeter. Having developed this sense of time and faith, we are better able to avoid becoming caught up “in the thick of thin things,” as one writer described it. We can distinguish meaningful, purposeful activity from mere busyness.
A sense of vision involves more than eyesight. It requires awe, involvement, optimism, purpose, enthusiasm, creativity, and appreciation of beauty. At first these words may not seem to be related. But when I think of the people of vision I have known, these are the qualities they share. Joseph Smith said of the Latter-day Saints, “If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.” (A of F 1:13.) The question is, why do we seek after these things? I think it is for the effect these experiences can have on us. The fields of choice are purposely left open so that we can select according to our interests and talents. Where there is vision, life flourishes. There is beauty to be appreciated everywhere, creative experiences to be savored, learning and thinking and growing to be enjoyed. To the degree that we understand the possibilities we gain an eternal perspective.
Finally is the sense of love. And in its perfected form, love is charity, the pure love of Christ. It is the redeeming, reforming, life-giving love that our Savior has for us. It is such a potent, positive, compelling love that we are drawn toward it and respond, as children respond to us when we are kind, tolerant, and long-suffering, with a reciprocating love of our own. We are enlightened and expanded in our understanding through this love, which we can reflect to others.
We can see the potential power of this divine love in 1 John
4:18: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” Charity will cast out any negative quality: resentment, envy, greed. All flee in the face of perfect love. But John specifically mentions fear. What happens when we are afraid? We prepare to defend ourselves. All of the body’s and the mind’s mechanisms close down and become very focalized. “Flight-or-fight” decisions are made. This may be appropriate behavior when we are truly endangered, but so much of our fear is learned, and sometimes we fear excessively or inappropriately. It is this fear that perfect love casts out. The Savior promises us, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27.) Unhampered by fear, apprehension, or anxiety, we can expand our perspective through love.
Humor, time, faith, vision, and love—these have been given to all of us to use and to develop. As we do so, our perspective broadens, and life comes into a truer focus.” A Sense of Perspective, Carol B. Olsen, June 1982 Ensign
May we all enlarge our view to see the larger picture, to see what God sees for all of us. May we cultivate an eternal perspective.
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