Teens & Seminary

I am an avid reader. When left uninterrupted I can consume a 500+ page book in less than a day. Of course that’s when I’m reading for entertainment. When it comes to reading for knowledge, the process is considerably slower. This doesn’t stop me from reading for knowledge, however, as I’m passionate when it comes to learning new things. Whether it has to do with recent discoveries about allergy elimination, the latest research in where the Book of Mormon (another Testament of Jesus Christ) may have taken place, or what colors help me look my best, I try to find as many books or articles as I can lay my hands on.

Needless to say, the written word is invaluable to me, as well as millions of others out there in the world. We are not the only ones who treasure a written record.

From the time of Adam and Eve a record has been kept, according to the laws and dictates of the Lord. Many men over the years have been commanded to keep a record. Why?

There are two distinct stories in the Book of Mormon that work to explain just one of the reasons.

At the time of the prophet Jeremiah, a righteous man by the name of Lehi was prompted to take his family out of the land of Jerusalem and journey to a place where the Lord would lead them. After traveling for a few days Lehi was instructed to have his four grown sons return to Jerusalem to retrieve something they would need: the Brass Plates. These plates were the most current record available of the Lord’s Church (think Genesis and go on from there).

This commandment was not to be taken lightly. Going back to Jerusalem was perilous enough, as Lehi had made a lot of enemies by preaching to them of their wickedness and the need to repent. Add to that the man who held the plates and you had a dangerous mixture. This man was called Laban. He was greedy and unscrupulous, and cared more for the wealth and prestige the plates accorded him than the words written upon them. It was only with his death that the plates were retrieved.

Why did the Lord ask Lehi to risk his four sons for what may seem like a trivial thing? We are given the answer by Nephi, one of those sons.

“And behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records, that we may preserve unto our children the language of our fathers; And also that we may preserve unto them the words which have been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets, which have been delivered unto them by the Spirit and power of God, since the world began, even down unto this present time” (1 Nephi 3:19-20).

Neither Lehi nor his family knew the Lord had a great journey for them, one that would require a large boat to take them across the ocean to a “promised land” (1 Nephi 2:20). Because they were being taken away from their native land, they needed the pure and undefiled language of the Lord and His prophets.

In stark contrast we have an accounting of a group of people called the Mulekites. At the time Zedekiah, king of Judah, was taken captive into Babylon, a group was guided to the promised land as well, only they had no written record of the Lord’s Church and laws. What sort of a difference could this have made?

“They had had many wars and serious contentions, and had fallen by the sword from time to time; and their language had become corrupted; and they had brought no records with them; and they denied the being of their Creator” (Omni 1:17).

Eventually the paths of these two people crossed. Do you know what the Mulekites did when they discovered the Nephites (righteous descendants of Lehi) had the brass plates? They rejoiced! They were open to being taught the language of the Nephites in an effort to begin living righteously. As this happened the Mulekites found themselves being blessed abundantly, and living in peace.

The written word is precious beyond measure, but the record we have beginning in Genesis on down through the present day is the greatest treasure in this world. The New Testament of the Bible fulfills the laws set up in the Old Testament. The Book of Mormon, a record of those brought by the Lord here to the Americas, complements what is written in the Holy Bible.

We must count ourselves blessed to have a record of the Lord’s ways: of why they work and what happens when we turn away from them. It is vitally important to study the scriptures so that we might learn from the experiences of those who have come before us in the hopes that we can avoid the same danger.

“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).

There are few sights in this world that can compare to a righteous mother humbly teaching her children in the ways of the Lord. There are few better testimonies to the love a child has for his mother than to continue in those ways even as he grows older.

My absolute favorite story involving mothers occurs in the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ. The remarkable women are not mentioned by name, but rather through the truths spoken and actions displayed by their sons.

Long ago a man named Helaman lived on the American continent. He was a good, noble, and righteous man who stood for much of what our forefathers fought to maintain: the desire to live free, to worship as they felt right, and to protect their families and homes. During Helaman’s time there were many wars between his people, the Nephites, and those who violently opposed the Lord’s Church, the Lamanites.

Helaman led a group of 2,000 young men, who were in their teens, to battle against the Lamanites. Why did he lead such young people into war? The parents of these young men had made a covenant with the Lord never to pick up their weapons of war again, even if it meant they would die. When their lives were placed in danger, many of them thought to break the covenant, especially as so many of their fellow Nephites – who fought to protect them – were being killed (Alma 53:11).

That’s when these 2,000 young men, or Stripling Warriors as we in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the Mormon Church) call them, stepped up and said they would fight in place of their fathers and brothers who had previously entered the covenant.

They fought many times, these young men, for what they believed what was right. Helaman became like a father to them, and they referred to him as such. He wrote to a fellow captain about these boys of his, in which the reason behind their incredible faith is given.

“And now I say unto you, my beloved brother Moroni, that never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites. For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus.

“Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, 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 56:45-48, emphasis added).

I do not doubt these mothers feared as they watched their sons go to war, not knowing what might happen to them, yet having such great faith that whatever the outcome it would be as the Lord desired. How great must have been their joy to see every single one of their young men return home.

For those who have a mother such as this, one who has taught you over the years in the ways of the Lord, rejoice. Live your lives as a testament to the good woman she is. If you do not have such a mother, I still say rejoice. You cannot know what has happened in her own growing up years to have shaped the person she is now. Instead of mourning for what might have been, take a moment to think of even one good thing she has done in your behalf. Even if there is only one little memory, take hold and never let it go. I then invite you to think of all the other mothers in your life: grandmothers, aunts, teachers, church leaders, and any other woman who has been a good influence.

I can only hope, as so many other mothers out there will echo, that my children will remember my own faith as I strive to teach them what is right. I pray they will be faithful and strong as I send them out to battle the evils in the world today. One of the greatest things I can ever hope to hear my children say of me is that they knew of my faith, and that I never doubted.