Reverence is More than just Quietly Sitting.....

I love to watch David, 26 months, as he putters around in the backyard.  He really doesn't need much to be amused.  He wanders around, stopping here and there to pick up a roly poly or a ladybug.  Once in a while he crouches down to watch an ant or a spider, not daring to touch.  He sits down in the grass and just wiggles his bare toes feeling the softness.  Sometimes he lays down in it and just rolls.  If there is any water at all in the yard, whether a little puddle from rain or the sprinklers, or a little left in the wading pool from yesterday's swimming, David will find it.  He splashes his fingers in it, dabbles his toes, and once in a while sits down in it with a big splash, clothes and all.  He laughs and giggles in absolutely joy, nothing held back. 

A few days ago I saw him sitting quietly on the edge of the patio.  I stopped what I was doing to watch.  He caught my attention because he was so still, and for such a long time.  He just sat there.  As I watched him I sensed that he was observing everything around him.  He saw the white butterflies fluttering in and around the sage plants.  He felt the warm sun on his face.  He could see the breeze blowing what is left of our spring daffodils.  From this teeny little guy, I learned something about reverence. 

In our church we have a little book called, True to the Faith.  In it gospel topics are addressed in alphabetical order.  Each topic contains a brief explanation along with scriptures to aid our understanding.  Under the topic of reverence, it states, "Reverence is profound respect and love."  I believe that David, young as he is, was not just sitting quietly on the patio.  I believe, that right there, for a moment, he was feeling a profound respect and love for the beautiful world that his Heavenly Father has created for him.  At such a tender age, he was feeling reverence for Heavenly Father's creations.

So often, we think of reverence as sitting quietly with folded arms in a church meeting.  But it is so much more.  It is what we are thinking about.  It is how we are feeling.  It is demonstrated by our actions.  We can feel reverence in our homes, outside in nature, in the temple…not just in church.   Purposefully striving to be more reverent can bring us closer to the Lord and help us to have the influence of the Spirit more in our lives.