Faithful and Blessed, Despite Difficulties

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.

The 2000 stripling warriors were legendary for their faithfulness and for how they were preserved by God despite facing great numbers of trained warriors, yet we don't always remember that they were all wounded, some very seriously. After a particular battle, all of them had "received many wounds," and about a tenth of them had "fainted because of the loss of blood" (Alma 57:25). This war was not easy for the Sons of Helaman.

Yet, despite the afflictions they faced in the war, including their need to go to war at all, the 2000 stripling warriors were "exceedingly valiant for courage, and ... true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted" (Alma 53:20). And because of their valiance and faithfulness and courage, they were blessed and preserved on multiple occasions.

Similarly, we face challenges and afflictions (though our afflictions are probably not as great as those of the stripling warriors), and the blessings we receive to help us get through our afflictions will largely be based on our responses to them. The Sons of Helaman faced their challenges with diligence and courage. If we want blessings of anywhere near that magnitude, we too should face our challenges with diligence and courage. The more diligently we live, the more blessed we will be, especially if we remain diligent in difficult circumstances.

The Sons of Helaman remained diligent in difficult circumstances, and they were greatly blessed. If we follow their example, we will be, too.