Reverence

By Elder L. Tom Perry

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Adapted from an October 1990 general conference address.

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matt. 22:37).

One Sunday my granddaughter Diana, who is four years old, was sitting next to her father at church. Diana sat reverently, enjoying the comfort of her father’s arm holding her close to him. However, when the bishop stood up and announced the sacrament hymn, Diana gently lifted her father’s arm from her shoulder and placed it in his lap. Then she sat up straight and folded her arms. She looked over at her father and encouraged him to do the same.

Diana’s message to her father was perfectly clear. She was telling him to turn his complete attention to the Savior.

Reverence is an attitude of deepest love and respect for Heavenly Father and our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is not enough to behave reverently; we must feel it in our hearts. Reverent behavior without a reverent attitude is empty of meaning if it is performed only for the praises of men.

Reverence is something we feel inside, no matter what is going on around us. It is a personal responsibility. We cannot blame others for disturbing our reverent attitudes.

Those who are truly reverent are those who have paid the price to know the glory of the Father and His Son. Let each of us set a personal example as a living witness of the love and respect we have for Him whom we call “Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (2 Ne. 19:6).

Illustrated by Beth Whittaker