Helaman 1:31-33 -- On Departing in Peace

"And now, behold, the Lamanites could not retreat either way, neither on the north, nor on the south, nor on the east, nor on the west, for they were surrounded on every hand by the Nephites.
And thus had Coriantumr plunged the Lamanites into the midst of the Nephites, insomuch that they were in the power of the Nephites, and he himself was slain, and the Lamanites did yield themselves into the hands of the Nephites.
And it came to pass that Moronihah took possession of the city of Zarahemla again, and caused that the Lamanites who had been taken prisoners should depart out of the land in peace."
Helaman 1:31-33


At the end of this selection it says that the prisoners were allowed to depart out of the land in peace, which happens several times throughout the war chapters of the Book of Mormon, and which I kind of like. They don't just kill them all so they can't come back and fight them again, but show them compassion... even though their army came in and killed a lot of their own people. They didn't have to make a truce which the Lamanite government would probably not agree to anyway, but instead just let them go... perhaps with an oath that these individuals would not return and fight them again, if it was similar to other stories. They recognize their humanity, and they allow them to return to their homes.

Is that a smart way to run a war, or to handle your enemies? I don't know. But it does seem like a very Christlike thing to do... a way of both sides compromising and acting to end the conflict with no more loss of life. I wonder if we could treat our conflicts a little more like this... recognizing that there was a lot of pain and harm caused, but not forcing it to continue by extending the conflict, big or small, but instead surrendering, or releasing the prisoners, or whatever it takes to go home in peace and leave the war behind.

Today, let's try to resolve our conflicts, and let others go home in peace no matter how much they have hurt us. Doing things God's way is sometimes really hard, but it makes the world better, and heals our hearts much more than we can ever feel if we hold on to anger and the desire for revenge.