Sister Margaret S. Lifferth appealed to parents, teachers and leaders to work together to teach, exemplify and encourage the standards of respect and reverence that will strengthen children and youth and invite the spirit of worship into their homes and chapels.

Sister Margaret S. Lifferth

"There is a great need in today's world to nourish the souls of our children and youth with 'living water' (John 4:10-14) and the 'bread of life' (John 6:48)," said Sister Lifferth, first counselor in the Primary General Presidency.

Speaking Sunday morning, Sister Lifferth said because parents and leaders love the Lord, they must work diligently to instill testimonies of Jesus Christ and His gospel in the hearts of others. "We teach in our homes, in missionary settings and in the chapels and classroom of our churches. We prepare and invite the Spirit to be with us. But to truly be able to feed His lambs and nourish His sheep with testimony and the Spirit, we must also cultivate in our homes and classrooms respect for each other and reverence for God."

A person's ability and credibility to exemplify reverence for God is strengthened as he or she shows respect for others, said Sister Lifferth. "As parents and leaders, our examples of respect for each other are critical for our youth and children, because they are watching not only the media, they are watching us. Are we the examples we need to be?"

Sister Lifferth said respect for others and reverence for God are close cousins. "They are rooted in humility and love," she said.

Reverent behavior is not a natural tendency for most children, she added. "It is a quality that is taught by parents and leaders through example and training. But remember, if reverence is rooted in love, so is the teaching of it. Harshness in our training begets resentment, not reverence. So begin early and have reasonable expectations."

The process of teaching and self-discipline continues line upon line, she said.

"We can exemplify reverence as we pray humbly, use the proper language of prayer and speak the names of Deity appropriately. We can handle the scriptures with respect and teach doctrine from them with conviction. Reverence will increase as we show proper respect not only for the General Authorities, but for local priesthood and auxiliary leaders as well."

Sister Lifferth said parents and leaders must set the example of reverent behavior in Church meetings. "We are friendly people and we love each other, but reverence will increase if our socializing is done in the foyer, and if sacrament meeting begins with the prelude music, not the opening prayer. We encourage reverence when we take a crying child out of the chapel and find another room where we continue to listen to the meeting until the baby is calmed or a disruptive toddler is soother. Reverence includes turning off our cell phones and Blackberries. Texting or reading e-mails in a Church meeting is not only irreverent, it is distracting and signals a lack of respect for those around us. So, we exemplify reverence by participating in the meeting, listening to the speakers and singing the hymns of Zion together."