Sister Tamara W. Runia, first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, spoke during the Sunday morning session of April 2025 general conference about how an individual’s repentance does not burden Jesus Christ but instead brings Him joy. The following is a summary of what she said.
Sister Runia’s talk summary
Some individuals feel repentance works for everyone but them. They might wonder, “When I keep falling short, does God know I still love Him?”
Distancing oneself from God after making a mistake and thinking that He is disappointed is not true. Likewise, waiting until an individual feels clean before going to the Savior misses the point.
“I testify that while God cares about our mistakes, He cares more about what happens after we make a mistake. Are we going to turn to Him again and again? Are we going to stay in this covenant relationship?”
When the Lord says, “Repent ye, repent ye,” imagine Him instead saying, “I love you, I love you.”
“The invitation to repent is an expression of God’s love. Saying yes to that invitation is an expression of ours. … Yes, your repentance doesn’t burden Jesus Christ; it brightens His joy.”
God forgives without shame, comparison “or scolding us because this is the same thing we were repenting of last week.”
Jesus Christ is forever brighter than the darkness of shame and would never attack someone’s worth. “Even though we don’t have perfect obedience yet, we try affectionate obedience, choosing to stay, again and again, because we love Him.”
Read the full text of Sister Runia’s talk: ‘Your Repentance Doesn’t Burden Jesus Christ; It Brightens His Joy’
Notable quotes
“I testify that while God cares about our mistakes, He cares more about what happens after we make a mistake. Are we going to turn to Him again and again? Are we going to stay in this covenant relationship?”
“The invitation to repent is an expression of God’s love. Saying yes to that invitation is an expression of ours. … Yes, your repentance doesn’t burden Jesus Christ; it brightens His joy.”
“We don’t stay on the covenant path by never making a mistake. We stay on the path by repenting every day. And when we’re repenting, God forgives without shaming us, comparing us to anyone else or scolding us because this is the same thing we were repenting of last week.”
Who is Sister Runia?
- Sister Tamara W. Runia was sustained as the first counselor in the General Young Women’s presidency on April 1, 2023, and began serving on Aug. 1, 2023. Some of her previous callings include Primary music leader, missionary preparation class teacher and Australia Sydney Mission leader.
- Always cherishing the young women of the Church, Sister Runia has said she’s been to Young Women camp more than 20 times and has even been asked to attend as the “camp cheerleader.”
- The Runias met at Brigham Young University while Brother R. Scott Runia was playing on the basketball team. During their courtship, he left the U.S. to play professional basketball in Holland and proposed to Sister Runia in a windmill-turned-restaurant when she visited halfway through the season.
What has Sister Runia done recently?
- During the October 2023 general conference, she spoke on viewing life with hope and joy.
- In March, Sister Runia traveled to South America with Sister J. Anette Dennis, first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, where they met with local Church members, visited temples and spoke at the World Congress on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue.
Read more of Sister Runia’s general conference address or follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
