Reverence

I am going to depart yet one more time from my tributes to my children. It has struck me that we as a society have lost so very much in such a short period of time. I am referring to a sense of courteous regard and reverence for things that are sacred and holy. All around, in so many facets of life, I see those individuals and even groups that are blatantly mocking, ridiculing and deriding people, customs, ideals and practices that just a couple of generations ago were given proper respect and held in quiet awe.

With the media's control over the minds of those that submerge themselves in it's filth, I do not see much hope in a return to an attitude of reverence for our society as a whole. The only hope we have will come from a groundswell of individuals, families and communities that are able to shake off the shackles of the media's deadening of the soul's innate light. The light of Christ is given to all, but, we can extinguish that light so easily if we are not diligent in nourishing the thoughts and feelings that are pure, sacred, holy and divine.

While working in a care center several years ago, I had the privilege of caring for those that had lived long lives and now were no longer able to care for themselves. It was one of the most rewarding of all my experiences, and yet, it was also one of the saddest experiences--in that so many were just treated as cast-offs by their families. Rarely did some even see a family member. There were a few that had loving support and frequent visits from their loved ones, but, unfortunately, that was the exception, rather than the rule. And, this is a small community! I firmly believe that there is a strong correlation between how we honor, care and respect our elderly (and our young) and our level of Christian charity in our homes and our community.

Of the myriad of my experiences in that setting, I would like to share one poignant event. I had cared for Mr. Jones (not his real name) for many months. I watched as he rather rapidly lost all ability to care for himself and then, as he lost his mobility as well. He had been a farmer, and his body was used to hard labor. But, once relegated to the confines of his tiny room, with no useful work required of him, he deteriorated so quickly. Having witnessed the final breaths of several of the residents, I was certain that he, too, was near to drawing his last breath. A few of the Nursing Assistants that I supervised stood reverently with me as I held his hands. Tears welled up in my eyes and were spilling down my cheeks as I felt the spirit so very strongly. I have felt such an awe and reverence for the experiences of both the end of life;death and the beginning of life;birth. The spirit at each of these sacred events has always touched me deeply. Well, as I said, there were three of us, just quietly standing by as Mr. Jones was entering the after-life. I was not the only one shedding tears either, when, another Nursing Assistant abruptly entered the room and loudly asked, "Well, is he dead yet?" The sacred feeling fled and I now was crying for the affront to Mr. Jones. How is it possible that anyone can become so very callous to others? Did it help that I explained the sense of HEARING is the last sense to shut-down during death? NO, my entreaties for an increase of respect for the deceased fell on deaf ears.

All I can do is pray that I never lose my sense of the sacred and try even harder to instill those values and sensitivities in my own children. Unfortunately, a sense of reverence can not be imparted from one to another, rather, it must come from deep within our own spiritual reservoir. If we choose to seek and develop it, we can. But, it is a journey that is individual. And, as one of our Primary Children's Songs states, Reverence is MORE than Just Quietly Sitting, It's thinking of Father Above---It's a FEELING! It is deep devotion and awe coupled with quiet reflection.

Some of the things I hold in high regard, I reverence and I revere are:
1.) The Sacrifice and Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ!
2.) The GODHEAD, meaning our Heavenly Father, His SON Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. Three distinct personages with three separate responsibilities yet all sharing the same mission, that of ministering to us! How amazing is that!
3.) The Sacrifice of all those that have provided us with our freedoms, our privileges---not just those that have fought and died for our country, but those that all throughout time have laid down their lives in defense of what they believed. Take William Tyndale, he suffered for 18 months and was finally strangled and burned to death. His crime? He translated the Bible so that the layman would be able to understand and read it! History is replete with such hero's! They ALL deserve our love, adoration and reverence.
4.) Birth
5.) Death
6.) Those that are suffering, the handicapped, the aged, the infirm and all children.
7.) Marriage between a man and a woman; baptism and any other ordinance
8.) The scriptures, all sacred writings
9.) Holy Edifices, such as our churches, Temples etc.
10.) Our flag
11.) Our bodies, which means we do not expose our bodies, but we dress modestly and do not purposely mar or destroy it.
12.) Our parents and grandparents--our families

That is just the short list. I am certain there are many others that could be added to the list. BUT suffice it to say that we as a society must return to a sense of reverence or in time, we will find that there will be no regard for any one's feelings or respect for anyone or anything at all.

Finally, I wish to plead with any reading this post to reject the current tide of profanity. I believe that as we allow and accept the current trend of increased profanity, the coarsening of our society will continue. We must stand firm and be better examples of purity in our vocabularies and lead out in expressing ourselves with civility and courtesy! May we all become a leavening agent and the much needed antidote to our society's current degradation.