Surely the bond between a mother and her child is the closest thing a mortal being here on Earth can experience to the relationship between our Heavenly parents and their children.
This life is but a moment in the grand, eternal spectrum of our lives. If we were to see the master design and all of time laid out before us, I am certain we would realize just how short this mortal life really is. In watching my children grow I see just how fast time races forward and how quickly we all must learn, grow, and change.
The decision to send Evan to school was one that occupied my thoughts for weeks. Debating back and forth the best course of action, I could not come to a peaceful conclusion. Despite his eagerness to make new friends, his love of learning and his growing independence, sending my baby out into the world where I would not be by his side (albeit for a few hours a day) was terrifying to me. The world is harsh and unforgiving and children face so many evils at such a young age. Having him face the realities of a world I would not know intimately myself made me incredibly scared. Had I done enough to prepare him to make good choices? Would he make friends? How would he treat those around him? How would other's treat him? What about peer pressure and bullies and feelings of insecurity and inadequacy? Who would be his cheerleader and companion and friend?
Sariah faced similar motherly anxiety I am sure when her sons left for Jerusalem. She knew the dangers that they might face when they arrived and the hostile company that would likely greet them. Thrust from her comfortable home and a life she knew well, the journey in the wilderness likely left her without a circle of her closest friends with whom she could find comfort and sympathy. I believe she had great faith; why else would she have followed her husband into the wilderness? Yet still, despite her faith, her children's safety and concern had given her reason to mourn, murmur and complain.
I can imagine her joy when, after days of gazing upon the horizon for some sign of her sons survival, they finally rejoined the family. Lehi had attempted to bring some level of comfort to her, assuring her that he knew the Lord would deliver their sons. However, it was not until they finally did return (and I imagine until she held them physically in her arms) that she was comforted and experienced a fullness of joy, affirming to her that the Lord truly is aware of the special reassurance mother's need and the complete joy that can be had within families. Indeed she declares (and Nephi remembers and records), "Now I know, of a surety...".
Looking back on this time and this major milestone for our family, it will be remembered that only I struggled with the choice. Brandon was confident Evan would excel in school, that he would make and be a great friend and would be an example of all the good we have taught him. Evan is a leader and would be fine. However, like Sariah, I had strong faith yet my faith was still insufficient to sustain me through the difficult journey that lay ahead for our family. With so many changes happening at once, I wondered how I would make it without my sidekick, Evan. He'd been my constant companion basically since his birth and besides the two hospital stays to have Ashtyn and Avery, I have only spent one night away from him in his five years of life.
In order to establish strong and righteous families, God needs more than a father to possess a testimony tried in the fire of affliction. He also needs a matriarch, weathered by her own trials of faith and armed with her own unwavering witness, to stand steadfast with her husband. Sariah fervently prayed to the Lord for her son's safe return, and their reunion was charged with the spiritual witness and stronger faith she received as a result of her trial. At that moment she gained a deeper testimony than she had previously known.
What I love about this story is that Nephi was not present to witness his mother's struggles, nor to her her complain. He did not hear her prayers and pleadings with the Lord. And yet he makes a special effort to record them. I believe at a later date, perhaps at several times throughout his life, his mother shared this faith-promoting experience with her sons. Obviously her experience had a profound influence upon Nephi, and the vital truth she shared with him affected the generations that followed.
Through priesthood blessings, spiritual confirmations and the special comfort God reserves for mothers, I too have had my own epiphany. Jesus Christ came to Earth to experience mortality so he could perfectly relate to every pain, sorrow, affliction, joy and happiness we will ever know. His experience is not a substitute for ours, but rather a loving gift from our Father in Heaven who knows that at times this mortal journey is difficult and each of his children could benefit from the succor of someone who has been there before and knows, perfectly, how to help us find relief.
A mother's preparation is crucial to the Lord. Her faith can influence generations. It can change the face of history, if even for one child. I pray my faith will inspire and strengthen my family as we too journey in the wilderness toward the land of promise.
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