LDS Treasures

I taught a Primary lesson on reverence last Sunday. Since we were out of lessons, I put together my own and while I was researching, I came across a mention that reverence wasn’t just for church. It was for every moment of our lives.

I asked the children what they thought that meant. We’d talked about how behavior is what is happening on the outside–arms folded, mouth quiet, that sort of thing that people usually mean when they tell children to be reverent but really just want them to behave. Reverence is on the inside. It’s what’s happening in your heart and your mind. If you’re sitting quietly but thinking about hitting your brother, you aren’t being reverent.

So, with the idea that reverence is internal, we decided it meant you never did anything that would be disrespectful to God, like using bad words. It meant being kind to others all the time. Most importantly, it meant acting like Jesus was right there beside you every minute and acting the way you would if he were there.

We learned a song about that in Primary this year, called “If the Savior Stood Beside Me.” The song asks if we would do the things we do if the Savior were near. The last verse reminds us He is always near, even though we can’t see Him.

Reverence every minute of our life would require us to remember He’s there and then to act accordingly.