Our Mothers Knew It

In the amazing story of the stripling warriors who were preserved miraculously in the terrible war with the Lamanites, we are told how they developed such great faith.  Helaman, their leader, recounted, “They had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.  And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it” (Alma 56:47-48).  Helaman also commented on the cause of their unfailing obedience: “Yea, and they 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” (Alma 57:21).  The teachings of their mothers had helped them develop strict obedience and invincible faith, and because of that they were able to stand in the strength of the Lord against the Lamanites.
               While we don’t know many details about these incredible mothers, I think we get a glimpse of the kind of faithful women they were in the stories of the Lamanite conversions.  The stripling warriors were fighting around 63 BC, and the Lamanite conversions were taking place about 90 BC, less than 30 years earlier.  Among those conversions described, there were two women in particular who showed incredible faith.  These could have been the mothers or perhaps grandmothers of the stripling warriors.  The first was the wife of Lamoni who had faith in the words of Ammon that her husband was indeed not dead.  Ammon was so impressed by her that he proclaimed, “Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites.”  She would later proclaim, “O blessed Jesus, who has saved me from an awful hell! O blessed God, have mercy on this people!”  Surely her posterity were the benefactors of her great faith in the Lord.  The second faithful woman was Abish who at the time of Ammon’s coming was already “converted unto the Lord.”  She was so certain of her faith that when she saw the conversion of the king she “ran forth from house to house, making it known unto the people” (Alma 19:10, 16-17, 29).  Surely, after experiencing the miracles that she did, she would have taught her children and grandchildren to believe and trust in the Lord.  And that faith may have been passed down to the stripling warriors.    

               I am very grateful for a mother who similarly passed along her great faith in the Lord and the gospel to me.  It was from her that I learned to kneel and pray to my Father in Heaven and keep the commandments of God.  And I’m likewise full of gratitude for my wife and her diligence in teaching our young children to have faith in the Lord.  She has spent countless hours reading the words of the scriptures with them and helping them learn, like the stripling warriors did, to not doubt but trust that God will help them.