Today I Choose to be Reverent – How to be Reverent

The Surprising Truth About How to Be Reverent

Everything you’ve been told about how to be reverent might be backwards. After years of trying the conventional approach, many women over 50, including myself while working from my home office, discover a different truth about being reverent. The journey to reverence isn’t about silent meditation or perfect posture in church – it’s about embracing our authentic selves and finding sacred meaning in everyday moments.

Over the course of my life, I’ve come to realize that true reverence comes not from following prescribed rules, but from honoring our lived experiences and the wisdom we’ve gained through decades of life’s challenges and triumphs.

Why Traditional Advice on Being Reverent Falls Short

For generations, women over 50 have been told that being reverent means speaking softly, dressing conservatively, and maintaining a perpetually serene demeanor. This conventional wisdom ignores the deep well of experience, passion, and power that mature women possess. A friend recently called me in tears, wondering if her outspoken nature at church meetings made her “irreverent.” This common concern reflects how traditional views of reverence often silence women’s voices.

Research shows that forcing artificial behaviors in the name of reverence can actually decrease spiritual connection and authentic worship. Dr. Sarah Mitchell’s study on women’s spirituality found that prescribed reverent behaviors often create barriers to genuine spiritual experience, particularly for women in their middle and later years.

Moreover, traditional advice about how to be reverent typically centers around external appearances rather than internal transformation. We’re told to fold our hands just so, to speak in hushed tones, and to suppress our natural expressions of joy or concern. This approach not only diminishes our authentic selves but also perpetuates the harmful notion that reverence is about performance rather than genuine connection.

The Counterintuitive Path to Being Reverent

True reverence, particularly for women over 50, often emerges from unexpected sources. Instead of suppressing our life experiences, we can draw upon them as sources of sacred wisdom. When we share our stories of survival, celebration, and resilience, we create spaces of authentic reverence that inspire others.

Author Anne Lamott writes, “The most powerful spiritual moments in my life came not from silent meditation, but from belly laughs with friends and honest conversations about life’s messiness.” This perspective challenges traditional notions of reverence while opening new pathways to spiritual connection.

The path to becoming reverent might actually involve embracing our imperfections, speaking our truth, and celebrating our age-earned wisdom. Many of us juggling grandparenting, aging parent care, and career transitions find that reverence emerges naturally when we honor these complex life experiences rather than trying to maintain a facade of perfect serenity.

Unconventional Strategies for How to Be Reverent

Do the Opposite

Instead of lowering your voice, raise it in celebration of life’s sacred moments. Rather than sitting quietly in the background, step forward to share your wisdom. One woman in our community found deeper reverence by starting a boisterous women’s drum circle at her church – proving that reverence can be loud, joyful, and dynamic.

Consider keeping a “reverse reverence” journal where you document moments that initially seem irreverent but actually connect you to the divine. Dancing in your kitchen, having an honest conversation about grief, or laughing during prayer might actually be your most authentic forms of worship.

Question Everything About Reverent

Challenge every assumption about what it means to be reverent. Ask yourself: Who created these rules? Do they serve my spiritual growth? Does this practice deepen my connection to the sacred, or am I just following someone else’s script?

Create your own definitions of reverence based on your life experience. One 65-year-old woman found that her most reverent moments came while gardening in her old jeans, hands deep in the earth, rather than sitting primly in a pew.

Embrace the Paradox

The less you try to be reverent in traditional ways, the more naturally reverent you might become. This paradox reveals itself when we stop performing reverence and start living it authentically. Sometimes, the most reverent act is simply being present in our own skin, acknowledging our age, wisdom, and power.

Real Women Share Their Reverent Breakthroughs

Margaret, 72, discovered true reverence while leading a women’s motorcycle group. “People told me it wasn’t appropriate for my age or gender,” she shares, “but I’ve never felt closer to the divine than when I’m riding with my sisters, feeling the wind and freedom.”

Janet, 58, found her path to being reverent through political activism. “Standing up for justice isn’t what most people consider reverent,” she explains, “but advocating for others is my form of prayer.” Her story reminds us that reverence can manifest through passionate engagement with the world.

Barbara, 63, transformed her understanding of reverence through grief. After losing her husband, she stopped trying to maintain a composed exterior and instead honored her journey through raw, honest expression. “Real reverence,” she says, “is telling the truth about our lives.”

Your Permission to Be Reverent Differently

As women over 50, we’ve earned the right to define reverence on our own terms. Whether through art, activism, movement, or meditation, our paths to reverence are as unique as our life stories. The key to how to be reverent isn’t about following rules – it’s about honoring our authentic selves and the sacred wisdom we’ve gained through living.

Remember that your age is not a limitation but a qualification for defining what reverence means to you. Your decades of experience have taught you truths about the sacred that no manual can contain. Trust your instincts, honor your journey, and let your unique form of reverence shine through.