“Reverence Is Love,” Liahona, December 2018
Reverence Is Love
On Friday my teacher asked me to read a poem I wrote in front of all the students, teachers, and parents at our school assembly. I was really excited, so I said, “Yes!” But I was also really nervous about it.
As I was sitting on the stage waiting to read my poem, my heart began to beat very fast. I felt very nervous about sharing something I had written with a lot of people.
Then a thought came to my mind. I thought of how my family and I read from the Book of Mormon together in the mornings before school. The thought of reading the scriptures with my family made me think of Heavenly Father. I thought of how He loves me. I felt comforted and no longer alone. My heart wasn’t beating as fast, and I felt reverent.
In the Children’s Songbook on page 31, the lyrics say,
Rev’rence is more than just quietly sitting:
It’s thinking of Father above,
A feeling I get when I think of His blessings.
I’m rev’rent, for rev’rence is love.
When I’m rev’rent, it shows in my words and my deeds.
The pathway to follow is clear.
And when I am rev’rent, I know in my heart
Heav’nly Father and Jesus are near.
I am thankful that I felt Heavenly Father’s love when I was nervous at the assembly. And I am thankful to know that He loves me very much.
I know that in difficult situations, I can choose to be reverent and think of God.