Sharing Time:

I Feel Reverent When I Read the Scriptures

By Virginia Pearce

“My soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children” (2 Ne. 4:15).

“I was playing with it first,” four-year-old Romero yelled as he grabbed a toy out of his little sister’s hand. Lolita started to run to their mother, so Romero angrily handed the toy back to her. The branch president and his counselors had come to visit, and Romero knew his parents would not like to be disturbed while they were talking with them.

Romero lived in the Philippines with his mother, father, and little sister, Lolita. Their home was a nipa hut his father had built from palm leaves and bamboo. The missionaries taught the gospel to his parents when Romero was just a baby. They knew that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was true, and they were baptized. They talked about the gospel at home and read the Book of Mormon together. They were a happy family.

At first, Romero’s family went to church every week. They didn’t have a car and the church was too far away to walk, so they rode in a small bus called a jeepney. But as the weeks went by, they began to forget to save extra money for the jeepney ride, so they couldn’t go to church. Some weeks they just didn’t get ready in time. After a while, they stopped going to church. They didn’t talk about the gospel in their home any more, and they didn’t read the Book of Mormon together.

Now the branch president was talking to Romero’s mother and father about the gospel. Romero heard his mother and father promising to attend church the next Sunday. But Romero was still more interested in getting the toy away from Lolita than in listening to the adults.

However, when he heard one of the visitors say “Book of Mormon,” Romero stopped playing and listened to what they were saying. He went over to a shelf and took out the Book of Mormon. He thought about some of the wonderful stories his parents had read to him from it. Romero had a good feeling as he held the Book of Mormon and remembered these things. He felt reverent. Now he didn’t want to take the toy away from Lolita. Instead, he wanted her to be happy. He wanted to sit quietly and listen to the branch president. As he listened, Romero knew he would like to go to church and to read the scriptures with his family again.

Nephi and other great men wrote many stories about their lives in the Book of Mormon to help us learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus. When we read or hear these stories, we will have reverent feelings in our hearts. These reverent feelings will help us to act differently. We will not want to push, shove, or take things from others, but be kinder and more respectful. To always feel close to Heavenly Father, read from the Book of Mormon every day.

Instructions

To make a booklet of some of your favorite Book of Mormon stories, take three or more pieces of plain white paper, place them in a single pile, and fold them in half. Staple two or three places along the edge of the fold, or punch three holes along the fold and tie the booklet together with yarn. Color the picture above, cut it out, then glue it to the front of your booklet. Draw a picture of one of your favorite Book of Mormon stories on each page, and write a title or description of the story under your drawing.

Illustrated by Jocelyn Palmer

Sharing Time Ideas

1. Play “Who Am I?” by having a child read facts from a card about a particular Book of Mormon character, then ask the others, “Who Am I?” For younger children, have a child stand in front of the Primary, but have an adult read the clues.

2. Ask a few adult members of your ward or branch to bring their personal copies of the Book of Mormon to Primary. Have each person share his or her thoughts about the importance of the Book of Mormon and his feelings of reverence for the scriptures.

3. Show the children a very precious object. Discuss with the children how we handle this object with great care because of its value. Give each child an opportunity to hold the scriptures. Help the children see that the scriptures are sacred and come from Heavenly Father. We do not tear, throw, or misuse them, but we show reverence for them by studying them.