r-e-s-p-e-c-t, Find out What it Means to Me

If there's one word my kids at home hear more than almost any other, it's the word "respect."  I often remind them to be respectful of their teachers or their classmates, and sometimes they even need to be reminded to respect themselves.  I'm not sure when respect became such an important thing to me, but it really, really is something that I value and that I hope my kids will also learn to value.  You see, I firmly believe that all good characteristics and habits are born of respect.  If we respect others, we will love them.  If we have respect for ourselves, we will make good choices.  If we respect our Father in Heaven and our Savior, we will show reverence for those things and places that are sacred to Them.

The theme for Primary this month has been, "Reverence is Love and Respect for God."  When I started preparing for this month and noticed the theme, I was thrilled!  As a presidency, we were excited to teach of the important role that respect plays, not only at church on Sundays, but in our daily lives.   We learned to be reverent at church and at home, with our family AND with our friends.  We were taught of the importance of being reverent during the Sacrament.  Shelby explained in a talk that being reverent during this sacred ordinance not only shows respect for our Savior, but also for those around us who are trying to be reverent.  I was able to explain the reason that I wanted all of the primary children to dress in their Sunday best for our Saturday program practice last month.  The chapel is the most sacred place in our church buildings because of the ordinance performed there, and it shows respect for us to be dress appropriately when inside it.  We also learned about showing respect toward the other parts of the church building, the Temple, our homes and at school.  Finally, yesterday, we learned that Reverence for God helps us respect and love others.  What a fun time we had singing songs about respecting ALL of God's children, while the primary kids took turns learning how to lead the music.

I'm grateful for the opportunity that I have to work with these fantastic children who have been extraordinary examples of respect and reverence.  I am also grateful for the inspired lesson plans that we have been given to teach from.

Next month's theme will be, "The Scriptures Teach Me about the Savior's Birth and Second Coming."