Article April 21, 2003 Issue

Lessons from Elizabeth

By Nate Talbot

Some people work hard all their lives to become famous. Others gain fame almost overnight. Fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart certainly wasn't seeking national attention when she was abducted from her Salt Lake City home almost a year ago.

Her story has had the potential of teaching society some important lessons. Just the fact that her kidnapping was so widely publicized must have caused parents everywhere to think carefully about how best to safeguard their own children. Another lesson surely is her family's heroism, which can only be described as incredibly persistent prayer and a dogged refusal to give up on finding Elizabeth. And, of course, one of the very special lessons is that it is possible for there to be good endings to such kidnappings—regardless of statistics. In fact, we might conclude that, with Elizabeth's safe return home, widespread prayer can be a factor in altering statistics.

There could be another lesson worth drawing from this story. As careful as parents may be in protecting the bodies of their children from being taken away, there is a need to find fresh and inspired ways to be sure their young minds are also adequately sheltered. The facts are not all in, but it is clear that Elizabeth's thoughts were imprisoned to the extent that, during those months when there was opportunity to escape, her normal desire to be free was blunted by those who held her captive.