Fighting Like Lions - Mosiah 20

As I read Mosiah 20, I couldn't help but wonder what this story looks like today.

Twenty-four daughters of the Lamanites were carried away into the wilderness. While human trafficking is a heartbreaking reality in our day, I also see another kind of abduction—one that is quieter and often harder to recognize. Satan rarely drags people away by force. More often, he lures them with acceptance, flattery, pleasure, and the attractions of the world. His methods are subtle, and that is what makes them so dangerous.

I've watched this happen up close. Good people don't usually wake up one morning and decide to abandon their faith. It happens one small compromise at a time until they hardly recognize how far they've drifted.

The Lamanites reacted exactly as many of us would have. They assumed Limhi's people had taken their daughters and immediately prepared for war. Mormon says they "fought like lions for their prey" and "like dragons did they fight" for their wives and children.

Those words slowed me down!

Have I fought like a lion for my family?

There have been seasons when I believe I had to. For a time, one of my daughters consumed my every waking thought as she battled a life-threatening eating disorder. We fought using professionals, prayers, tears, and hope simply to keep her alive. Today she still struggles, but she fiercely loves her husband and son. Her story isn't finished, and it isn't mine to tell. I continue to trust the Savior with the chapters that are still being written.

Before King Limhi rushed into battle, Gideon urged him to slow down. Don't assume. Search first. Think carefully. His wise counsel uncovered the truth: the guilty ones weren't Limhi's people at all. It was King Noah's wicked priests—men who had already abandoned their own wives and children to save themselves.

Selfishness had created the conflict.

I see that pattern today. Whenever people choose themselves over their covenants, marriages suffer, children suffer, and families suffer. Satan has always known that if he can weaken the family, he weakens society.

So what is the answer?

It is always Jesus Christ.

When our greatest desire is to please Him instead of protecting ourselves, our priorities change. We become more willing to sacrifice, forgive, teach, and stay faithful to our covenants. We become watchmen over our homes rather than spectators. We are present at the crossroads of our children's lives, offering love, counsel, and the steady influence of the gospel.

It didn't take me long to move from a story about a battle between wicked men to the greater war Satan wages against every disciple of Christ. Mosiah 20 reminds me that some things are worth fighting for—not with anger or contention, but with faith, steadfastness, and unwavering devotion to the Savior and to those we love.