One of my favorite scripture stories is Helaman and the two thousand stripling warriors. There is much more to admire than the valiant courage of the young men who went to war for a righteous cause. Their fathers made and kept covenants with the Lord even when the pressure to break those promises was great. Their mothers taught them to have faith in a God who loved them and helped them know that they would be protected in as much as they kept the commandments. Helaman didn't just lead them into battle; he loved them and called them his own. In return they respected him and loved him enough to call him father. Those parents sent their teenage boys into war knowing that they had no tactical training. Instead, those families had to depend on their faith in the Lord knowing they had trained their army of boys spiritually in the best way they could. I would imagine that training was a community effort the whole time those boys were growing up. Because the sons of Helaman and their parents had faith and acted upon it, they were able to defend their homes and families and not one of their lives was lost. They were then able to recognize and be grateful for that miracle despite the many severe injuries they had sustained.
We too face difficulties daily as we fight against the evils of the world that are growing stronger all the time. As parents, grandparents, family members, leaders, and Latter Day Saints, we have a great responsibility to develop the Christlike attributes that we need to prepare ourselves and our children for the trials and evils they will face. We also carry the responsibility of setting an example and strengthening our community as we represent Christ. In chapter six of "Preach my Gospel" we are told that Christlike attributes are gifts from God and cannot be developed without His help. In a talk given by Elder Neil L. Andersen at BYU Women's Conference last year, we were told that "we are on a battlefield and it will continue to intensify. If we arm ourselves with faith and righteousness we can be hopeful and optimistic that we will prevail. We will be given power and protection through the atonement of Christ and angels and miracles will surround us." (loosely quoted from my notes at women's conference) As we choose to find joy and accept the gift of our Savior, our eyes will be opened to miracles all around us and we will be able to find joy, even in our current challenges.
Our primary theme this year is "I am a Child of God" and as leaders we are doing our best to help the children come to know of the love their heavenly Father and Savior has for each one of them. At the beginning of the year, we started a "Blessings Jar." Each week the children and teachers look for the ways that they are blessed and shown that Heavenly Father loves them and then they share their experiences in sharing time, adding a colored rock to our jar for each blessing they name. I wish that I had time enough to share all of the miracles that have been shared in our humble little primary room. We have been told of big miracles such as a young girl who was protected when a car sped past the bus just as she was going to walk across the street to get on it. We have heard of a tiny baby who survived a premature birth and is now home with her parents and thriving. We have heard of a miracle that occurred on a softball diamond when a small boy was hit in the head with a hard driven line drive and through the power of the priesthood and prayer was up and running around shortly afterward without even a trace of injury. We have been told of a little boy who survived an asthma attack thanks to an aunt who listened to a prompting to bring her husband's inhaler with her to the pool. There have been tears shed as tender moments were shared by a brother and sister as they expressed testimony of eternal families after the loss of a stillborn baby.
It has been amazing to me that these children already seem to understand that through faith and hope in the atonement of Christ, we can find joy even in the midst of heartaches and trials. The hardships we face are actually tender mercies from a loving Father in Heaven who knows we have great potential to learn and grow and become like Christ as we humbly turn to Him in times of need. He knows and loves us and is in every detail of our lives. Our primary children are also good at recognizing the hand of God in every aspect of this life and often share with us their appreciation for the simple joys in life like pets, sunsets, and rainbows, as well as their families and friends.
As adults we could all learn from the example of our primary children and go forth with faith, having continual gratitude in our hearts, finding joy in the journey as we trust in the Lord and strive to become more like our Savior, Jesus Christ, who loves us and invited us to find peace and safety by coming unto Him.
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