In Search of Reverence

I was challenged recently to describe the word reverence, and I paused. It’s not a word I use often, but one that feels weighty, almost sacred. What do I mean when I use it? When do I feel it? Where have I been when it stirred inside me? What do I truly revere?

Those questions bounce around in my brain, never quite finding a landing spot that satisfies me. So, I put it out to my readers: what does reverence mean to you?

My first thought was of the American Indians and the homage they pay to the environment, to all living beings, and even to the ideas and perspectives of others. I know that’s a broad statement, but their teachings often reveal a softness, an understanding, a belief that respect for each other, the past, and the future grounds them in reverence.

For me, reverence is measured in how I treat, care for, and respect others. If I look away from injustice, am I silently showing reverence for cruelty? Respect is something I can offer politely. Reverence, though, asks me to pause, to bow inwardly, to acknowledge the sacred weight of life—whether in people, in nature, or even in ideas.

I confess, I don’t always live up to that. When I feel unheard or dismissed, I sometimes lash out—stubborn, defensive, or unkind. Those moments remind me how quickly reverence slips away when fear or pride takes the wheel.

And looking around at the state of our country, and the world, it seems I’m not alone. Reverence is missing from our dialogue. Respect for opposing beliefs has been replaced with shouting, name-calling, dogfights, and ugliness. We fight so fiercely to be right that we forget to be kind.

So I keep asking: What does reverence mean to me? How do I live it daily? Perhaps together, by sharing our answers, we can begin to bring reverence back into a world that sorely needs it.

Another slice of life—burnt edges and all.