Did you know that, for the past year and a half, I have been writing a book about the mothers of the stripling warriors? I have talked periodically talked about it on Instagram, but I don’t know that I have ever mentioned it here on the podcast. Most of the writing has been done for months. It took a lot longer than I anticipated to receive feedback from Beta Readers so I could complete the final round of edits before starting the publishing process. All of that is done now, and I have been sitting on the manuscript for way too long because I am not sure which publishing route I want to take.
I could take the traditional route and submit it to publishers like Deseret Book for consideration. Or, I could self-publish, which comes with its own set of pros and cons. And, honestly, as the queen of overthinking, I am struggling to commit to either path because my list of pros and cons does not give me a clear winner.
The big question in my mind is whether or not this information belongs only in a book, or if I could use it to create additional content, such as products or courses, to help people who may prefer to consume content in ways other than reading a book. The answer to that question will determine which publishing avenue would be best suited to help me create what I feel called to create while helping the largest number of people.
I feel like I am close to deciding, but I am not going to comment on my decision just yet because I reserve the right to change my mind. But, given the fact that, for the past couple of weeks, we have been studying about the stripling warriors and their mothers in CFM, and I have literally written an entire book about this topic, I feel like it is time to talk about it here.
There is SO much I could say, and one podcast will barely scratch the surface. But, scratching the surface will give you some food for thought. And, after you listen, I invite you to study this story on your own to discover any additional insights the Spirit can share with you.
Having said that, let’s get to it!
As members of the Church, we have probably all heard the story of the stripling warriors a million times, but have you ever thought about why the prophet Mormon included this tribute to their mothers in the story? He compiled this book for our day when women like you and me would be feeling overwhelmed at the thought of raising righteous children in a time of unrelenting spiritual warfare.
But the mothers of the stripling warriors were able to prepare their kids to step into battle at a moment’s notice with courage, faith, and complete confidence in God, even though they were all very young. Some experts believe these boys could have been as young as 12-15 years old. Can you imagine the deacons and teachers in your ward fearlessly heading off to battle while saying, “We do not doubt our mothers knew it?”
Yeah, me neither.
But a friend recently taught me that “success leaves clues.” While we do not know the details of how the stripling mothers raised their children, they have left us some clues. Or rather, Mormon left us some clues about them when he compiled their story.
So, let’s put on our detective hats as we talk about some of the things we do know about these women, and consider what they can teach us about preparing our children for their latter-day battles.
Here are a few things we do know. The mothers of the stripling warriors were Lamanites who were converted by the missionary efforts of Ammon and the sons of Mosiah. We know that, prior to their conversion, the Ammonites were “in the darkest abyss” (Alma 26:3). They were “the most lost of all mankind” (Alma 24:11) because of the “traditions of [their] wicked fathers” (Alma 24:7) and the “many sins and murders” they committed (Alma 24:10).
But, after they were converted to the Lord, not a single one of them ever fell away. They left their past behind, changed their name (Anti-Nephi-Lehis), buried their weapons of rebellion deep in the earth, and covenanted never to pick them up again, lest they lose their souls.
We all know they buried their weapons. But do you know the context of that decision? Did you realize that they decided to bury their weapons when war was upon them?
The Lamanites who did not join the Church were not happy with those who did. Rather than accepting their former friends' decision, they prepared to destroy the Ammonites.
Upon hearing of this impending attack, the Ammonites held a meeting to discuss their options. They had already laid down their weapons of rebellion with no plans to take them up again, lest they lose their souls. But war was upon them. What were they to do?
At this meeting, the king gave a rousing speech in which he thanked God for convincing them of the error of their ways, allowing them to repent of their sins and murders, forgiving them, and taking away their guilt. He then pleaded with the people to keep their swords bright by burying them as a testimony to God that they would never again shed blood. And, with this testimony, they would covenant with God to give up their own lives before killing another, give rather than take, and labor abundantly with their hands rather than spend their days in idleness. All who were in attendance agreed to this covenant, and with war on their doorstep, they buried every weapon deep in the earth. (Alma 24)
Then, when the Lamanites came upon them in battle, the unarmed Ammonites met them on the battlefield, laid down upon the ground, and began to pray. The Lamanites proceeded to slaughter 1005 of them with no resistance.
But, upon seeing this courageous demonstration of faith, more than 1005 Lamanites dropped their weapons and joined the Ammonites on the ground. These Lamanites repented and were numbered among the people of Ammon, joining the ranks of those who, from that point forward, were forever faithful.
Let’s pause this story for a moment and consider this scene, which happened 11 years prior to Helaman’s march with his stripling sons. The men on the battlefield that day were likely the fathers and grandfathers, and maybe some older brothers of these young soldiers. 1005 of them died. We do not know how many remained alive, but many of these boys likely lost their fathers that day. Their mothers were widowed, left to pick up the pieces of their broken hearts and move forward as single moms.
How did they react to this challenge? Did they say, “We did not realize our covenant would cost so much. Can we not dig up our weapons and defend ourselves?”
They did not. They turned their faces to the future, looked forward with unwavering courage and trust in God, kept their covenant until the end of their lives, and remained forever faithful. They were willing to sacrifice everything for the God they loved, including the lives of their husbands.
With so much talk about the power of making and keeping covenants from our prophets lately, I cannot help thinking about these faithful Ammonites. They have taught me SO much about the power of covenants.
What did these young men – the future stripling warriors – learn about faith from their parents in this battle alone? They knew their parents trusted God completely because many of their fathers were martyrs and their mothers never wavered in their commitment to their faith, no matter what it cost them.
When they later said, “We do not doubt our mothers knew it,” they could say that because these women had never given their kids a reason to doubt where their loyalties lied. They could not doubt their mothers trusted God and would do anything to follow Him because they had watched that faith and trust in action on multiple occasions.
What do our kids learn about our faith in God by watching our example? If we did not say a word, what would they conclude about our level of trust in God’s power and deliverance? Could they, like the stripling warriors of old, confidently declare, “We do not doubt our mothers knew it?” And, if not, why not? What areas of our faith might we need to strengthen to get to that point? That is a good exercise to attempt with the help of the Spirit.
But, let’s return for a moment to the battlefield where 1005 martyrs died. Do you remember the more than 1005 Lamanites who threw down their weapons and joined the Ammonites on the ground that day? Not only did they join them on the ground during battle, putting themselves at the mercy of the other Lamanites, but they joined the people of Ammon forever. They, too, repented and became part of the group that, from that point forward, remained forever faithful.
What I think is miraculous about that is that the Ammonites welcomed them – the people who were, just moments prior, participating in the slaughter of their loved ones. They treated them with compassion and ministered to them. I do not know that I could have done that. But, then again, these Ammonites had a colorful past that included many sins and murders. They knew what it was like to repent and feel of the marvelous light of God.
So, they welcomed repentant sinners into their midst, no matter their former sins. They did this on more than one occasion, but this one stands out to me because of what they lost at the hands of these Lamanites.
President Nelson recently said that, "One of the easiest ways to identify a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other people." (source)
By this definition, the Ammonites were the truest followers of Jesus Christ, because I cannot even fathom the amount of compassion they had to have had in order to welcome those Lamanites into their community.
What did the future stripling warriors learn about being a true follower of Christ by watching how their parents treated others? And what do our kids learn about being a true follower of Christ by watching how we treat others? Do we give them a good example to follow in our interactions both in person and online?
Now, what else do we know about these Ammonite mothers? They were “perfectly honest and upright in all things.” (Alma 27:27) They were obedient to the law of Moses, even though “they did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses.” They kept the law because it “strengthen[ed] their faith in Christ.” (Alma 25:15-16)
Did you catch that? They kept the law of Moses because it strengthened their faith in Christ, who could save them, not because they believed the law itself could save them.
I invite you to ponder the application of that principle in today’s world.
Last week, I spoke briefly about the law of obedience, but it applies here, so I want to circle back to that for a moment. It is interesting to note that Helaman’s young army, “observe[d] to keep [God’s] statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually” (Alma 58:40). And, in battle, “they did obey and observe every word of command with exactness” (Alma 57:21).
And that, immediately after praising the obedience of his young army, Helaman added this insight: “And I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them” (Alma 57:21).
Who, then, taught them to obey? Their mothers.
And what would had happened if these young men had decided they didn’t need to listen to Helaman because they didn’t like him telling them what to do?
It is not hard to imagine the scene of chaos, carnage, and death that likely would have ensued had these young men decided to be stubborn instead of compliant. Helaman was able to lead them safely into battle because their mothers taught them how and why to obey.
And, while they attributed their miraculous deliverance in battle to the miraculous power of God, I am not convinced that God would have orchestrated such a miracle had they not been willing to obey His commandments or the instructions of their leaders. As I see it, their obedience paved the way for their deliverance.
I believe the same thing applies to our kids today. Their willingness to obey their parents, leaders, and, ultimately, God, will keep them spiritually safe in the latter-day battle for their faith. And, if we want our kids to learn to obey God, we MUST first teach them to obey us. If we want to return to live with God, obedience to His commandments is non-negotiable. And, for kids, obedience will always begin at home.
Are we starting to put together some of the clues these Ammonite women left for us? Are we getting a sense for who they were, what was important to them, the character traits they exemplified, and the kinds of things they may have taught their children?
These women lived their faith with such diligence that their kids never had any reason to question where their loyalties lied. And the knowledge of their mothers’ complete confidence in God’s power gave the stripling warriors courage to walk into battle at a moment’s notice and fight in the strength of the Lord, even though they were all very young.
They taught their sons that “if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.” And these young warriors did “not doubt their mothers knew it.”
Why did they believe their mothers knew what they were talking about? Because everything about those mothers’ lives was evidence of their complete trust in God.
I have learned many things from these women, but the lesson that rises to the top is this: If we want to raise faithful spiritual warriors, we must first become converted to the Lord.
Our personal conversion will be our kids’ FIRST line of defense in the latter-day battle for their faith.
Will our conversion, our example, and our teaching guarantee that our kids will remain faithful? There are never any guarantees. But, as Jeffrey R. Holland said:
“Our children take their flight into the future with our thrust and with our aim. And even as we anxiously watch that arrow in flight and know all the evils that can deflect its course after it has left our hand, nevertheless we take courage in remembering that the most important mortal factor in determining that arrow’s destination will be the stability, strength, and unwavering certainty of the holder of the bow.” (A Prayer for the Children. April 2003)
We, as women and mothers in Zion, are the holders of the bow for the rising generation. Our responsibility in this great latter-day work cannot be understated. We play a vital part in building and nurturing faith, not just of our children, but of generations.
I know that feels daunting, but God is on our side. He will help us as we seek His guidance to raise His children. And, while we will make many mistakes, and our kids will undoubtedly use their agency to make choices that do not align with the things we have taught them. But, God’s grace is sufficient to cover our kids and their mistakes. To cover the mistakes we make as parents, and everything that does not go exactly as planned. We can trust His grace.
And, if we remain faithful and do our best to teach our children truth and point them to Jesus Christ, no matter what happens in the days ahead, or what choices our kids make, they will always be able to say, “We do not doubt our mothers knew it.”
And, with God’s grace, that will be enough.
