I get an email every month from a friend who compiles a bunch of good resources for Come, Follow Me study from BYU’s Religious Studies Center, BYU Studies, and Book of Mormon Central. As I was going through these resources this morning, I noticed that he included nine resources connected to Alma and Helaman and zero relating to Shiblon. #dontforgetshiblon.
Searching for images of Shiblon? Compared to his older brother Helaman there aren’t too many. #dontforgetshiblon.
Shiblon is one of many underrated characters in the Book of Mormon. He’s like Sam, Abish, Muloki, the servant of Helaman, Lehi, the brother of Nephi, Coriantor (Ether’s dad), and others in the Book of Mormon who work hard, do a lot of good, but don’t receive a lot of credit. I see this not only in the scriptures, but in family history. I have a couple of famous ancestors, and at family reunions we’ll often tell stories about them. But I have many more non-famous ancestors—Shiblon-like ancestors. Will I remember and be grateful for them? #dontforgetshiblonoryourlesserknownancestors.
Shiblon was part of the dream team of missionaries to the Zoramites. He “commenced in [his] youth to look to the Lord [his] God” (Alma 38:2). Shiblon had great “faithfulness and diligence, and patience among the people of the Zoramites” (Alma 31:3). Shiblon was “stoned for the word’s sake; and did bear all these things with patience” (Alma 31:4). What a hero!
Most of us are like Shiblon. We work hard, try to make good choices, and quietly help others. We’ll never speak in General Conference and when somebody a hundred years from now writes the history of the church for the century of the 2000s, our names won’t be in it. And that’s okay.
To me, Shiblon epitomizes the advice given by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: “Lift where you stand.” I hope to be like him someday.
#dontforgetshiblon
