It's All About Love

Alma 57 and 58 are continuations of Helaman's letter to Moroni.  In the beginning of Alma 58, Helaman writes about waiting in vain for help from the government.  They were in great need of both men and provisions, but they received only a small amount of each.  In Alma 58:9-11 Helaman writes:

"...therefore, we were grieved and also filled with fear...Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us...and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him."

I love this.  I love that Helaman doesn't charge right into the story about how they were delivered, but wrote about the wonderful feelings--gifts, really--given through the Spirit so that they no longer feared.  Helaman writes how Heavenly Father didn't just give them the answer to their prayer, he also gave them the faith they so desperately needed, the hope to carry them through, and peace, the total opposite of that horrible feeling of fear.

I know I have received these great gifts as well.  So many times.  But probably not as often as my Heavenly Father wished to give them to me, because I didn't think to ask.  I am so grateful for my testimony that Heavenly Father loves me and wants the best for me.  I think it is true, that the strongest testimonies of that nature are formed during the hardest trials of our lives.  It makes me grateful for those trials because knowing that he loves me is so very important to understanding all the rest of it.  The gospel is all about love.

Stripling Warriors

The story of the 2,000 Stripling Warriors is by in large told in Alma 56 in a letter from Helaman to Moroni.  It is a great story...one of the "kid stories" of the Book of Mormon.  Kids love it, and it is often seen as a straight forward story about faith.  The 2,000 young men were taught to trust God and not one of them died.

I don't know why, but as I read that story this morning I did not see the faith and bravery of the young men, which is what I thought I would write about, all I could see was the way the two armies worked together.  Helaman and his sons marched speedily to lead away the Lamanites who pursued them with equal speed.  Antipus and his army followed, knowing that if they did not catch up, Helaman's army would be slaughtered.  They marched so quickly that it left little energy to fight by the time they did catch up and many men, including Antipus, fell quickly to the swords of the Lamanites.  But, it was then that Helaman's army returned, even though they were unsure about why the Lamanite army had stopped.  They were unsure if it was a trap or if Antipus needed their help and yet they turned back because unwillingly to stay away if it was the latter.

When Helaman's army arrived they found Antipus' men on the verge of scattering.  These young warriors fought with such vigor that the whole Lamanite army turned to fight them.  This gave the men of Antipus a chance to regroup and come again upon the rear of the Lamanite army, after which a victory was won.

Alone neither one of the Nephite armies would have survived.  Together, they conquered.  There is a lesson in that...It could be thought of in terms of ward members helping one another, families, spouses, or friends.  A chance to regroup is often all we need to face life's challenges head on.

I sometimes underestimate how valuable a chance to regroup is.  The Sabbath day is often a way for me to regroup.  Even some time spent with the scriptures, or cuddling with my kids makes all the difference.  But I suppose my point is that even when it feels like we are falling, or failing, we need not to give up.  Our Heavenly Father is aware of all of us and He will come to our aid if we reach out to Him, whether it is through other people or through the Spirit, the results are the same--we can conquer.

The Possible

In Alma chapters 51 and 52, we see the Lamanites gaining victories over the Nephites even though Moroni drew the line between himself and his enemy, fortified his cities, and prepared to the best of his ability.  I feel it is important to realize that this is true in our lives as well.  We, none of us, are perfect.  None of us have perfect children, perfect spouses, or perfect friends.

At times, our defenses fail.  The important thing is that we don't give up the fight.  We continue to fortify against Satan's bombardment.  We continue to defend the line between us and that which would eternally harm us.  It requires repentance, as well as forgiveness of ourselves and others.  It requires hope and persistence.  And it also requires that we recognize the difference between what a sin is and what is a choice of lesser consequence.

I have noticed a trend in myself lately as I try to find more peace in my life.  I find myself often thinking:  "Calm down.  What just happened is not a big deal.  It is not a sin.  Yes, you have disappointed another person because you couldn't accomplish what they wanted from you, but you have in no way done wrong."

I think as I have learned the great value of obedience in my life, I sometimes get caught up in wanting to please everyone.  I need to remember that obedience to Heavenly Father brings more faith, more understanding, and more happiness while obedience to the whims of all those around me brings stress.

I found a quote that I love that has helped me deal with this concept of continuing to strive and do my best even amidst what I often view as my failures.  It is from the American author, Sue Bender:

"My challenge was not to do the impossible--but to learn to live with the possible."

We know that Moroni, Teancum, Lehi, and Helaman don't give up when they lose a few cities to the Lamanites.  They rally.  They plan.  They pray.  They fight.  They are guided and blessed.  We will be also.  With faith in our Savior, winning the battle is possible.

Build Your Towers

I love Alma chapter 50.  It is, for the most part, a happy and hopeful chapter.

It talks about how Moroni directed the people of Nephi to fortify themselves against the danger of the Lamanites' attacks.  Years ago, in family scripture reading, we began to liken this fortification unto ourselves by considering what Alma 50 was advising for our family.  We read verse 4...

"And he caused towers to be erected that overlooked those works of pickets, and he caused places of security to be built upon those towers, that the stones and the arrows of the Lamanites could not hurt them."

...and I hastily drew a rough sketch on a piece of paper of towers atop a wall.  On the wall was the shield that all Primary kids recognize with the letters CTR (choose the right) written on it.  On the towers we wrote FP (family prayer), FS (family scripture reading), and FHE (family home evening).  These are some of the defenses that our leaders have advised us to put in place for our families.

Then we read verse 6:

"Thus Moroni did prepare strongholds against the coming of their enemies, round about every city in all the land."

Can't you just see it?  Every family, prepared and protected to the best of our ability from that which tries to encroach and destroy us...it is a very hopeful picture that pops into my mind.

The chapter goes on, but I won't quote all the scriptures here.  I'll just record some of the jottings that I wrote in my scriptures.

Next to Alma 50: 7-8, I wrote "the drawing of the line."  Moroni clears the Lamanites out of the east wilderness and makes a straight line from east to west that divides the land of the Nephites from the Lamanites.  Each family needs to decide where their line is drawn so that it is clear where they feel the danger lies.

Next to Alma 50: 9-11, I wrote "replace dangerous things with good things."  After the Lamanites are cleared out, Moroni has the Nephites build cities in the east wilderness.

There are, of course, more wise words in this chapter, but I think you understand what I'm saying.  And I'm sure as others study this chapter, they will pick out different words that the Holy Ghost guides them to for their own families.

Captain Moroni

I have been reading about Captain Moroni.  He is introduced to us in Alma 43:16, and then in verse 17, it tells us that he was only twenty-five years old when he was appointed chief captain over the Nephite army.  He was young for all that responsibility, but he was most assuredly up to the challenge.  We all remember the often quoted Alma 48:17 about the good captain:

"Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."

He was without a doubt an amazing man.  A righteous man.  He was a man that knew the importance of liberty.  In Alma 44:5, Moroni is speaking to the leader of the army of Lamanites that he is contending with at the time.  The Nephites have surrounded the Lamanites and wish to let them depart in peace.  Moroni is telling Zerahemnah why the Nephites fight and commanding him to lay down his weapons and promise not to come to battle against the Lamanites again.  He says:

"And now, Zerahemnah, I command you, in the name of that all-powerful God, who has strengthened our arms that we have gained power over you, by our faith, by our religion, and by our rites of worship, and by our church, and by the sacred support which we owe to our wives and our children, by that liberty which binds us to our lands and our country; yea, and also by the maintenance of the sacred word of God, to which we owe all our happiness; and by all that is most dear unto us--"

I feel a kindling of hope when I read that scripture that I too might overcome those things, those vices or sins that attempt to steal my liberty away.  I can rely on that all-powerful God, who can strengthen my arm, and I can rely on my faith in that sacred word of God to which I owe all my happiness.

The scriptures refer to sins often as chains that drag us down, and this morning I am longing to be free from that weight.  I have learned so much about the gospel this past five years.  I have been on a steep learning curve, but I still struggle to put it all into practice.  I can know it, but sometimes the doing eludes me.  I hope I can be more aware of my liberty and defend it with the vigor that Moroni defends the Nephite nation.

Lorenzo Snow

In reading the Relief Society lesson for next week I found a perfect quote from President Lorenzo Snow that goes along with my Parenting with the Spirit post.  I love what he has to say and the way he says it!

"Make up your minds to live humbly and in such a way that you will always have the Spirit of the Lord to be your friend, to make such suggestions to you from time to time as shall be needed under the peculiar circumstances in which you may be placed....How much longer I may live, I know nothing about, and I do not worry about it.  I do desire, and it is something that you should desire, to have that humility, and that meekness, and that simplicity to enjoy the spirit of revelation.  It is your privilege, every one of you, to have enough of the spirit of revelation to know exactly what is proper for you to do.  It is your privilege to have it just as much as it is my privilege to know what to do tomorrow, when tomorrow comes, for the best interests of the Church in general."   (Teachings of the President of the Church:  Lorenzo Snow, chapter 4, pg. 79)

Parenting with the Spirit

Alma 42 is the last chapter that we get to "listen in" on Alma speaking to his sons.  He is still talking with Corianton and he says in verse 1:

"And now, my son, I perceive there is somewhat more which doth worry your mind, which ye cannot understand..."

I have been thinking about this since reading it yesterday.  I wish I could hear the things Corianton is saying back to Alma.  Or, is Corianton like some of my kiddos, who largely remain silent during these tete-a-tetes?  Is Alma gleaning what needs to be discussed from what his son is saying or from the Spirit like he and Amulek did when they were "contending" with Zeezrom back in Alma 12?

Alma speaking to Zeezrom:  "...for behold, he knows all thy thoughts, and thou seest that thy thoughts are made known unto us by his Spirit." (Alma 12:3)

It has got me thinking about parenting and how Heaven Father knows my children and what they need far better than I do.  It is a thought that is a comfort to me.  When I am ready to throw up my hands in frustration as to what to do next as a parent, I can go to Heavenly Father and he will know.  Or better yet, pray before I am ready to throw in the towel.  I think that my stewardship as their mother entitles me to revelation regarding their needs.  I think I can ask him to help me perceive the things that my child is struggling with even when they are silent.  And then I can pray for the words and the love that it takes to help them understand.