Mothers Who Know

Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to have been one of the mothers of the 2,000 Stripling Warriors described in the Book of Mormon, Alma Chapter 56.

Like Queen Esther, they were the right mothers, at the right time in history, with the right preparation to do what the Lord needed them to do.

 These were mothers who  knew who they were and what their mission was.  They were empowered with a conviction and an unwavering faith and testimony of the Savior.  They trusted 100% in the Lord, and because of that faith, their sons trusted 100% that the Lord would deliver them.

In Alma 56:47, 48 it describes the faith and trust these valiant young warriors had in their mothers and in the Lord.

"47 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.

48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it."

It was the teachings and testimony of the 2,000 Stripling Warrior covenant keeping mothers that gave their sons the courage to have faith during difficult times, trust in God, be leaders, and to stand strong and immovable in their convictions.

Are we really that far removed from who these mothers were?  

The Savior came to do the Father's will because His Father sent him.  That same Father [in heaven] has sent us to be here at this time to be strong mothers, even
mothers who know.  

  We as mothers may be the first ones to tell someone that we don't measure up.  We see these "mothers who know" around us and feel that could never be us.  We compare our weaknesses against their strengths.  We are major multi-taskers doing a lot of "good" things simultaneously. We are trying to nurture our husbands, our children, our homes, and trying to be well-balanced at the same time.  It is hard to fit it all in some days.  I know, I feel overwhelmed many days, with so much to do, I don't know what to do first, then at the end of the day I wonder what really got accomplished from my list.  Emotionally this begins to take a toll on our perceptions of how we are doing as mothers.  We wonder if we are being everyone that our husbands, children, and others need us to be.  I know this feeling first hand.

 I believe though, that we are greater than we think we are and are making a far greater impact for good in our families than we know.

President Uchtdorf, gave such a great message at our October General Conference when he gave another landmark talk, Forget Me Not 

 

Among many great points, he mentioned this:

Forget not to be patient with yourself.

"I want to tell you something that I hope you will take in the right way: God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect.

Let me add: God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not.

And yet we spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others—usually comparing our weaknesses to their strengths. This drives us to create expectations for ourselves that are impossible to meet. As a result, we never celebrate our good efforts because they seem to be less than what someone else does.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.

God wants to help us to eventually turn all of our weaknesses into strengths, but He knows that this is a long-term goal. He wants us to become perfect, and if we stay on the path of discipleship, one day we will. It’s OK that you’re not quite there yet. Keep working on it, but stop punishing yourself.

Dear sisters, many of you are endlessly compassionate and patient with the weaknesses of others. Please remember also to be compassionate and patient with yourself.

In the meantime, be thankful for all the small successes in your home, your family relationships, your education and livelihood, your Church participation and personal improvement. Like the forget-me-nots, these successes may seem tiny to you and they may go unnoticed by others, but God notices them and they are not small to Him."-President Uchtodorf, Forget Me Not, Ensign October 2011

We can do this!  

I love the words of Julie Beck from her talk

Mothers Who Know

"The responsibility mothers have today has never required more vigilance. More than at any time in the history of the world, we need mothers who know. Children are being born into a world where they “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” However, mothers need not fear. When mothers know who they are and who God is and have made covenants with Him, they will have great power and influence for good on their children."-Julie B. Beck, Mothers Who Know

Just like these mothers of the 2,000 Stripling Warriors, we can be the right mothers, at the right time in history, with the right preparation to do what the Lord needed us to do.