I grew up in the Los Angeles area and as such had the opportunity to frequent the Los Angeles Temple and its visitor center often. The visitor center has been changed and undergone some major upgrades since that time with a plethora of interactive media and family history experiences, but when I went, there were 2 pieces of technology that stuck out to me. One was the statues in front where a button could be pushed and a story or series of scriptures would be shared. The other was a large theater where you could request a church film or Living Scripture movie be played. My favorite Living Scripture movie to request was the story of Helaman and the stripling warriors. Given the fact that this story is included in this week’s study of Come Follow Me, I thought it appropriate to reflect on the film and the scriptural story it portrays.
Admittedly, as a child, the movie of the Stripling Warriors was my favorite because it had the most action. That being said, this story became one of my favorites and I can still remember being able to share about Helaman and his sons with a fellow member of my stake while on a bus ride to youth conference. He asked me what my favorite scripture story was and I pointed him to the story of Helaman and his sons. During high school, I had a t-shirt given to me that had the phrase “Stripling Warriors are Momma’s boys” which I loved to wear in public places such as Disneyland (back when I lived only a half an hour away and could go without having to take out a personal loan). It was a surefire way to get noticed by other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Of course I had to be careful that “stripling” was read correctly or else it became a little awkward…
The sons of Helaman were indeed “momma’s boys.” I love that they credit their mothers for their faith. In Alma 56: 47-48, we read:
“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.”
These young men were taught the gospel of Jesus Christ by their mothers and as result, were firm in their belief that the Lord was in control, regardless of the outcome of the battle.
Back to the Living Scriptures movie. Yes there was fighting and action and it was so cool to see the Stripling Warriors win, but as I reflect back on the film, a couple of things stand out to me that are different from the scriptural account.
First, as they were fleeing from a speedy march from the Lamanites, Helaman was in the back of the army in an effort to head off the Lamanites should they come upon the rear of his army. Wow! He was willing to take on a whole army with only one other guy if he thought he could slow down the advance of the Lamanites and give his boys a better chance of escape.
Second, the Stripling Warriors helped out each other. The stronger warriors protected those who were weaker. This reminds me of a teaching from Doctrine and Covenants 84:106:
“And if any man among you be strong in the Spirit, let him take with him him that is weak, that he may be edified in all meekness, that he may become strong also.”
This verse has often been applied to ministering or missionary companionships, but I think it can be applied to marriages, friendships and pretty much any relationship we have. Recently, my wife was not feeling well so I was responsible for attempting to take care of my daughter. This experience was taxing on me and later that day, my wife took care of my daughter so I could recover.
Lastly, I loved Helaman’s reaction upon learning that all of the Stripling Warriors were alive. He dropped to his knees and while it was not an uttered prayer, I imagine him giving thanks to the Lord for sparing his army. I love the idea of being grateful under any circumstances. In 2020, President Nelson shared a video around Thanksgiving highlighting the importance of gratitude and then proceeded to pray a prayer of gratitude. It was a great example to me of the importance of expressing thanks to Heavenly Father.
It has been a long time since I have seen the Living Scriptures account of the Stripling Warriors, but I think it is fair to say that it started me on the path that led to a lifelong love of this wonderful scriptural account. I hope you enjoy your Come Follow Me study this week!
Link to President Nelson’s talk and prayer
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