But I did still create this blog, and I would still like to have a good forum on which to write and maybe share "journal entry" type posts, so why not repurpose this one? After General Conference this last weekend I—like a large number of the members of the church, no doubt—decided to embark on an experiment with the concept of "ponderizing". While the following scriptures may not really be great for memorization, they are certainly among those that I have pondered in the last small while. What I've had on my mind lately are the Nephite/Lamanite wars that took place near the end of the Book of Alma. Today I'd like to talk specifically about the Stripling Warriors; ethnic Lamanites who, on conversion to the gospel, removed themselves from their people due to the constant threat of violence and went to live among the Nephites. Although they had made a vow of pacificism—fearing lest their pre-conversion violence would come back to deny them exaltation—when the lives and freedom of their people and their brethren among the Nephites was once again threatened, some of their young men banded together and took up arms with Helaman, the son of Alma and the High Priest of the church as it was organized at the time.
It is popular to refer to the Stripling Warriors as having been taught by their mothers. They are mentioned almost without fail in most congregations of the Church on Mother's Day, I imagine. While this is a nice observation, I think there is actually considerably more to be said about the characteristics of the stripling warriors in the scriptures. Here's a sampling, emphasis mine:
Alma 53: 20-21 "And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him."
Alma 57: 21 "Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness;"
Alma 57: 26-27 "And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power. Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually."
Alma 58: 39-40 "And those sons of the people of Ammon, of whom I have so highly spoken, are with me in the city of Manti; and the Lord has supported them, yea, and kept them from falling by the sword, insomuch that even one soul has not been slain. But behold, they have received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free; and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come."Julie and I knew many of the same kids as teenagers, and it has always been a source of some surprise, disappointment and lingering melancholy that a rather large percentage of those whom we knew did not maintain activity in the church, in many cases, this happened very quickly upon leaving home. In the eternal war for the souls of men, they more closely resembled the armies of the Nephites—while standing on the right side, many were yet lost—than the stripling warriors of the Ammonites, of whom not a single one was lost.
And let me be clear; these were not the already inactive kids. These were the kids that we knew jointly across the stake. Kids who went to all of the stake activities. Kids who went to church. Kids who went to seminary. Kids who, in my mind, had the foundation laid for a successful life of activity in the church. But clearly laying the foundation wasn't sufficient.
And although their failure may have surprised me, in some ways, my wife says that to her it was not surprising. She saw already the patterns of behavior that were clear red flags: the search for loopholes, the looking for justifications and excuses, the fact that many of them were there at the behest of their parents, not because of any indication of clear commitment on their side.
In addition to this heightened sense of commitment to righteousness, what are some other things that I have seen in those who have been successful; those who's lives more closely resemble that of the stripling warriors than the harrowing experience of the Nephite armies where many were lost? A few final thoughts:
- The stripling warriors were prepared and ready for adversity. As Helaman said, they received many wounds, and were subject to a great deal of privation as the central government in Zarahemla was overthrown by a faction that desired to end the war and align with their enemies. Being prepared to weather adversity is an important skill, and one that any successful, faithful member will need to develop.
- Although it doesn't talk specifically about this with the stripling warriors, in my experience, developing the skill to know how to seek out and recognize inspiration from the Holy Ghost is another skill key to maintaining faithfulness, especially when going through difficult times and adversity.
The scriptural references I picked are probably a little long to attempt to memorize, but are important to provide context for the pondering. I'd summarize the scripture to "ponderize" here as that portion of verse 21 I quoted above: "Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness." A great motto to keep when tempted to cut corners, make excuses or otherwise not live up to the exacting example set by the stripling warriors.
