👩👧👦 Mothers at the Gate of Zion
👩👧👦 Mothers at the Gate of Zion
You know, sometimes the wisdom of the ages doesn’t come from marble halls or white-robed priests—it comes from the campfire, where the mothers and grandmothers sit with children in their laps and questions in their hearts.
Old Ben Franklin himself admitted it: the Native tribes lived freer, cleaner, and with more sense than all the stiff-collared politicians of Europe. Why? Because their societies weren’t built on ladders of pride—they were built on circles of care.
📜 The Question That Matters
There’s a story of a warrior who laid down his weapons and said, “Enough.” He tried farming, failed at it, and ended up leading a small band away from a city rotting with pride and corruption.
Around the fire one night, he told his people about the cost of war. Then a woman asked the question we all should be asking:
“What will stop us from falling into the same traps again?”
The warrior looked around and said:
“Men start wars. Women—mothers—don’t.”
⚔️ Men and Pride vs. Mothers and Peace
Men get swept up in pride, in titles, in who’s in charge. That’s how wars are born. But mothers, whose hands rock the cradle and whose prayers circle the home, aren’t so easily fooled. They don’t send their sons to die because of someone else’s ego trip.
And isn’t that exactly what the Book of Mormon shows us?
“They rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.”
— Alma 56:48
The sons of Helaman went into battle fearless, not because of weapons, but because of the steady faith their mothers planted deep in them.
👩👧👦 Mothers Choosing Leaders
The Nemenhah Records echo the very same truth:
“It was the mothers of the families who chose out from among their people those whom they trusted. And these they did appoint to be stewards in the councils of their people.”
— Book of Hagoth, ch. 1
And again:
“The mothers of the people did say: We will not suffer that our children be led away into war for the pride of men, but we shall stand as a hedge against it.”
— Book of Tsihmlayi, ch. 3
Think about that. A maternal shield stood between the schemers and the people. The secret combinations, the prideful graspers of power, couldn’t worm their way in—because they had to pass by the mothers first.
🌿 Zion: Not Towers, but Trust
And so peace settled in. They called it Zion. Not because of golden spires or armies at the ready, but because the people actually trusted one another—and trusted the wisdom of their mothers.
Friends, maybe Zion isn’t as complicated as we make it. Maybe it isn’t 300 temples or endless programs. Maybe it’s as simple as listening to the ones who have the most skin in the game: the mothers, the protectors, the ones who carry life and want to preserve it.
Zion begins where pride ends—and where the voice of care is heard above the shout of ambition.
📖 Bible Verses to Reflect On
“Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.” (Proverbs 31:28)
“A wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” (Proverbs 14:1)
“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?” (Isaiah 49:15)
“She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.” (Proverbs 31:26)
“When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice.” (2 Timothy 1:5)
“Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it.” (Psalm 127:1)
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
🕊️ Closing Thought
Maybe it’s time we let the mothers guard the gates again.
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