Reverence for Heavenly Father’s Creations

By Virginia Pearce

All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it (Alma 30:44).

Have you ever looked up with wonder at the stars at night? Have you joyfully danced in a warm wind? Do you love the smell of the earth after a rainstorm?

Heavenly Father created the stars in the night sky, the wind and the trees, the rain and the rich brown earth. Each butterfly, kitten, and rainbow is a gift to us from a loving Father. We can show reverence by enjoying and caring for all of His creations.

President Howard W. Hunter has great reverence for Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and all of Their creations. As a young boy he especially loved animals. One day, when he was about seven years old, he saw several older boys gathered around a large irrigation ditch near his home. He saw them throw a kitten into the water. Every time the kitten managed to crawl out of the ditch, the boys would throw it back in. When the boys left, Howard took the kitten gently in his arms, carried it home, and put it by the wood-burning stove to keep it warm. He fed the kitten warm milk and lovingly nursed it back to health. His family let him keep the kitten, and it became one of his beloved pets.

Do you show respect, honor, and love for God’s creations? If you have a pet, do you take good care of it? Are you kind to all animals? Perhaps you care for the earth by recycling cans or papers and not littering. If you love to play outside in the warm sunshine or wonder at the stars at night, do you thank Heavenly Father for His wonderful creations? When you enjoy nature, remember that all these good gifts are a reminder that God loves you. In the Book of Mormon, Alma said, “All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it” (Alma 30:44).

Instructions

Cut out the illustrations of President Howard W. Hunter’s kitchen and the figures. Place the figures on the picture of the kitchen as you tell the story of President Hunter and his cat.

Sharing Time Ideas

Tell the children the story about President Howard W. Hunter. Allow them to take turns pantomiming how they care for their pets, or have the children bring pictures of their pets and discuss how to care for them and treat them with respect (see page 48).
Bring enough bits of nature (leaves, nuts, sticks, flowers, etc.) to Primary for each child. Allow children to take turns gluing them onto a large nature collage. If weather permits, the children could go on a walk and gather their own collage materials.
Cut out several pictures from calendars or magazines that relate to the following scriptures: Psalm 65:9 [Ps. 65:9] (rain, rivers), Psalm 65:13 [Ps. 65:13] (pastures, flocks, valleys, corn), Psalm 96:11–12 [Ps. 96:11–12] (sea, field, woods), Ecclesiastes 3:1–2 [Eccl. 3:1–2](seasons), Ecclesiastes 3:11 [Eccl. 3:11] (everything beautiful), Doctrine and Covenants 59:16–20 [D&C 59:16–20] (animals, birds, food, clothing), Abraham 5:9 [Abr. 5:9] (trees). Give each class one of the scriptures, have them look it up, read it, then match the scripture to the picture that they think illustrates the scripture best.
Use the suggestions in lesson six in the Family Home Evening Resource Manual to teach the children that Heavenly Father has given us all we need to make life possible: air, water, food, and so forth.
Divide the children into groups. Assign each group to illustrate one phrase from the song “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” (Children’s Songbook, page 228). The Sunbeams could draw raindrops, the CTR Bs could draw butterflies, etc. Have the children cut these out and paste them on a large piece of paper to make a mural for the Primary room.

Illustrated by Lori A. Wing