The Value of Righteous Women

In my daily prayers, I frequently plead with Heavenly Father to help me to be as wise as Mother Eve, to have the courage of Esther, and to possess the virtue and obedience of Mary, mother of the Savior. I frequently ponder these and other righteous women of the Bible, as well as women mentioned in the Book of Mormon.

When thinking about the latter, I feel a deep admiration for the Mothers of the 2000 Stripling Warriors. Because the people of Ammon had made a covenant to never again to take up their weapons and shed blood, and Helaman’s plea for them not to break their covenant when the threat of danger was upon them again, their sons–all of whom were not under that covenant–“entered into a covenant to fight for the liberty of the Nephites, yea, to protect the land unto the laying down of their lives.” (Alma 53: 16-17)

Their sons were young, yet when these brave youths fought for the freedom of their people under the command of Helaman, they were obedient and fearless. They fought valiantly, and as a result, all their lives were spared. Not one of them was lost. These young men had great faith and had been taught by their mothers to believe in God and not doubt. None of them had ever fought before, “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: 47-48)

What strength, virtue, and faith these mothers must have possessed! Imagine the love of God and obedience that must have been rooted firmly in them to have made such a monumental impact on their sons with their teachings! It is amazing to me and leaves me speechless at times just thinking about it!

This is the strength, faith, courage, virtue, humility, meekness, righteousness, and holiness I desire with burning intensity. These are the attributes we should all be striving to possess. Eve, Ruth, Naomi, Esther, Mary, Abish, the Mothers of the Stripling Warriors, and so many other righteous women of the scriptures–these are the amazing souls we need to emulate in word and deed with all our hearts, because they were so like Christ, which is who we are commanded to be like.

I will never cease praying for this, not only for myself, but for all of us. Because just think of the righteous youth we will raise if we–like these women–forsake Babylon and cling to the things of God!