2012 January 26
Last night at Institute I talked about the 2060 Stripling Warriors. I am especially fond of the story because it’s about boys who listened to their mothers! Momma’s Boys! But I am sure there were daughters, too, and they must have been just as valiant because valiant sons help daughters to be valiant and valiant daughters help sons to be valiant. These kids weren’t just valiant, though. They were “exceedingly valiant.” (Alma 53:20) Exceedingly!!!!
Some of you have probably heard me tell about my experience with the story…..when Gina started school I decided to read the Book of Mormon every day. I was especially touched by this story, which, by the way, starts in Alma 53.
Back in the day, armies chose who they wanted to be their military leaders and these boys (ages 14-20 approx.) chose Helaman, who was only about 33 himself. I have never realized it before, but Helaman was the president of the Church! (Good choice, boys!) He called them his sons and they referred to him as their father.
Where were their real fathers? Well, remember that their fathers are the ones who made an oath to never shed blood again and buried their weapons of war – the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. After 14 years under the protection of the Nephites, they wanted to contribute to the war effort. Since they couldn’t actually fight, they became the support system for the Nephites. They worked in the fields to supply food and helped however they could in other ways. There were so many Lamanite prisoners to feed as well as the families of the Nephite soldiers that it required a lot from them and they were away from their homes for a long time as the wars went on and on.
I thought and thought about those families and those righteous children. How had the parents done such a good job of raising them? How? I wanted children fit for the army of Helaman, too. So I started praying about it and continued praying about it for a long time. My prayers were answered in many, many ways over a long period of time.
Here, in a nutshell, is what has God told me. Those Mothers (and fathers) didn’t know anything we don’t know! We have prophets and apostles and scriptures, and the Ensign, and the programs of the Church, and every opportunity and ability to know what God would have us do as parents. The only thing the people of Ammon had (their name was changed to that from Anti-Nephi-Lehies) was more doing!
Sometimes we even think that what we are told to do is so inconsequential that it won’t make a difference. But “by small means the Lord can bring about great things.” 1 Nephi 16:29
Follow the prophet, read scriptures every day, have FHE, say your prayers! I promise you those are the very things those mothers did…..but they did it with exactness and soberness and consistency. They were firm and undaunted, faithful and obedient and believed God. Their children did not doubt that their mothers knew it (Alma 56:47-48), and then the children knew it, too!
Those 2060 young men went into battle and they weren’t afraid to die! They didn’t want to die, but realized that some things are important enough to give your life for so they went forward with courage and faith! Alma 57:25 says that
“two hundred . . . fainted because of the loss of blood; nevertheless, according to the goodness of God, and to our great astonishment, and also the joy of our whole army, there was not one soul of them who did perish; yea, and neither was there one soul among them who had not received many wounds.”
They ALL received many wounds.
I have a poster that says: “God will not look you over for medals, degrees, or diplomas, but for scars.”
Scars show that you were in the fight, believed in something and took a stand!
We cannot be passive today! We have to fight with the same conviction and energy as those families did. We live in the time of war…..war that has been going on since the pre-existence….physical wars and wars for our spirits and those of our children. We have to fight! And our weapons are the scriptures and FHE and prayer. They are also our armor.
Would you call yourself “exceedingly valiant?”
This is the testimony of your mother/grandmother, mother-in-law….. the Church is true and it matters that you do these things to strengthen yourself and keep yourself safe! It’s worth dying for, yes, but also worth every courageous sacrifice you can make all through your life to keep the commandments!
I just couldn’t give that lesson last night and not join with those righteous families in Helaman’s time to let you know that your Momma knows it, too, and I pray for all of us to be exceeding valiant!
I love you all. You are my valiant Saturday’s Warriors!
MOM/Pat/Trish/Grandma
