Firm and undaunted

Alma 57

Helaman recounts the miraculous events of a conflict involving his young Ammonite warriors.   Also of the timely return of Gid and his men who were sent as guards of the prisoners they had taken. Their timely return made it possible for them to win the conflict.  Even though they suffered some injuries, their lives were spared.

There are no accidents.  The older I get the more I believe this.  Even those experiences that are devastating somehow turn to bless those who love the Lord.  Is it without trials?  Of course not.  But those who love the Lord can see the blessings in all things.

In verse 21 it says “Yea, and they (Stripling Warriors) did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them.”

I have a note in my margin by Pres. Hinckley that I love:  “When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes a quest, then we are empowered by the Lord.”  Certainly this is evidenced in the lives of these young men.  I can say I’ve experienced it in my own life.  Words used to define these warriors:  firm, undaunted, obedient, exactness, faithful.  In verse 25 it says they gave credit for their success to God.  They knew there was a just God, and “whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power.”  Their faith was in God and His promises.

Now I found another aha that intrigued me - mostly because of the world I’m exposed to currently.  I watch my children in awe of some of the foolish and careless things happening in the lives of some of them.  Verse 32 says “. . .our prisoners did hear their cries (the spies telling their guards that the Lamanites were near] which caused them to take courage; and they did rise up in rebellion against us.”

Let’s see if I can articulate the thoughts that verse generated.  One of my children was struggling with her testimony, but she was trying ever so hard to do as she had been taught.  She was attending her meetings, going to the temple regularly, going through the motions, but she wasn’t feeling it.  She even said as much, but I was proud of her for hanging in there and trying.  Then one day she heard the devastating news that her cousin had “defected”.  By this I mean he had denounced his belief in the church and said he never did believe it.  This from a marvelous young man who had served an honorable mission, married in the temple and started a beautiful family.  The entire family is now inactive.  The comment this sweet daughter of mine said at this news blew me away.  Without much thought she quickly said, “Well, at least I wouldn’t be the first of Grandma’s children to not believe it.”  What?  And from that point on, it was a speedy decline into a life that is dark and miserable.

So to wrap this day’s reading up, what are the two words I would use?  Obedience and influence.  If we want the Lord to bless us, we must keep our covenants with exactness.  We must also avoid the influence of the adversary at all costs.  If we are the least inclined to weakness, the weakness of others will pollute our thoughts and it is a fast decline into the dark side.  My mother use to say: “Misery likes company.”  This is definitely a truth.  I really have a firm testimony of this as I experienced it for myself and I have watched it repeated in the life of a sweet, beautiful daughter whose life is unraveling.