The Heart of Our Lands

There is an interesting story in Helaman 1 that might have something to teach us about the spiritual dangers we face today.  We read that “the Lamanites had gathered together an innumerable army of men” and they came down and attacked the Nephites in the center of their land at Zarahemela.  The Nephites were not prepared for this, and Coriantumr led the Lamanites to “take possession of the whole city” and kill their chief judge Pacumeni (v20-21).  This astounding success of the Lamanites—not too many years after the long war of the later chapters of the book of Alma in which the Lamanites were defeated—was due to the Nephites’ lack of preparation.  Mormon wrote that it was “because of so much contention and so much difficulty in the government, that they had not kept sufficient guards in the land of Zarahemla; for they had supposed that the Lamanites durst not come into the heart of their lands to attack that great city Zarahemla” (v18).  They had been so distracted with their political fighting internally that they did not prepare sufficiently for an attack from the Lamanites, and they especially didn’t expect the Lamanites to come to the center of the land.  Perhaps there is a lesson in this for us as we face the numerous dangers of our day.  

                I see the Nephites in this story as a representation of the family in our day. The first thing we learn from this story is the need for unity—if we cannot develop harmony and  peace within our homes, it will be very hard to defend against the influences of the adversary that are trying to tear the family apart.  It takes a concerted effort from all within a family to live gospel principles and to put the teachings of the Savior at the center of family life.  The Book of Mormon account also highlights the need to protect what’s most important first.  The Nephites protected the outer cities of their society but they had not placed enough priority on the center.  This reminds me of Elder Ballard’s comments from the last general conference: “Now, brothers and sisters, there was a time when the walls of our homes provided all the defense we needed against outside intrusions and influences. We locked the doors, closed the windows; we shut the gates; and we felt safe, secure, and protected in our own little refuge from the outside world. Those days are now gone. The physical walls, doors, fences, and gates of our homes cannot prevent unseen invasion from the Internet, the Wi-Fi, the mobile phones, the networks. They can penetrate our homes with just a few clicks and keystrokes” (see here).  In other words, it’s not enough to secure the outside; we must go to work spiritually reinforcing the individual lives at the center of our homes so they can each be a bulwark against the adversary.  Ultimately our greatest protection will be each individual’s determination to use his or her agency to follow Christ.  So helping our families develop the desire and ability to make righteous decisions should be at the top of our to-do list.     

                I found a quote from President Kimball from 1975 which was surely prophetic and which provides encouragement to us today as we seek to secure our homes from the influences of evil.  Speaking of the adversary President Kimball said, “He is going to attack the home.  He is going to try to destroy the family. That is what he wants to do.  And you will see that all these workings of Satan that have been mentioned by the Brethren as they have talked to us have a final result of destroying the home, the family, the parents, the loved ones.  That is what this Satan would like to do.  Let us make up our minds he will not do it in our families” (see here).  Over forty years later how much greater must our determination be to protect our families, “the heart of [our] lands.”