For the last six weeks I’ve been dealing with relentless hackers who have been attacking my primary Web site - the one that supports our family of 8. Each time I feel like I’ve plugged the holes, they find another way in. Fortunately I don’t have any confidential data in my site that they can obtain, and we do make regular backups. But they do manage to mangle my site for a day or two each week.

Needless to say, this has been a constant concern and I’ve spent many 14-hour-days scouring code and making what repairs I know to make. In a way, I feel like I’m at war with an unseen enemy. I know the general countries my attackers are from, but not enough to pinpoint them. And perhaps it’s just as well. It’s easier to “love your enemies” or in the very least not “hate your enemies” when you don’t have a name or face to assign to them.

The real challenge for me over the last 6 weeks has been the loss of my normal life. Usually, I’d write an article for IAmJoyful.com each week. I’d post some blogs, I’d come up with new creative ways to promote my experts. I’d spend some time contemplating the young women over which I have a stewardship and how I could best serve them. I’d check in on a friend who’s struggling with her testimony. I’d write a book. I’d take more time to go for walks and ponder the important things of life. Instead, when I haven’t been traveling this month, I’ve been staring at code and attempting to keep an unseen enemy from destroying our family’s livelihood.

“I want my life back” has become my mantra. I long for the days when creativity was an active part of my day-to-day life. As I’ve contemplated this issue, I’ve tried to find the spiritual lesson within it. What am I supposed to learn from this? How can I learn it fast so I can move on? A few ideas have come to me and I’m adjusting accordingly. A couple days ago I received a script from a famous technical author. He was kind enough to share with me (at no charge) the defense he’s using against a similar assault. I’ve been able to integrate this “wall of security” on my site and am hopefully it will do the trick. Still, I must be ever-vigilant, checking and repairing code and constantly fighting to keep the enemy out until we can be certain the walls will hold. I’ve hired a team of experts to find my site’s vulnerabilities so we can repair them.

Today, as I was sitting in Sunday school, a parallel struck me between my current battle and the war Captain Moroni and his people waged against their enemies. In Alma 49, Moroni establishes “places of security” (Alma 49:5). He starts with the Nephites’ weakest cities and shores them up. He builds ridges of earth around the cities. His enemies attack what once were weaker cities, only to be confounded when they discover Moroni has been “altering the management of affairs among his people so that the Lamanites were disappointed in their places of retreat and they could not come upon them” (Alma 49:11). This made me think of the steps I’ve been taking to create walls and plug holes in my web code.

Through Moroni’s increased defenses, “the Nephites had all power over their enemies…not a single soul of the Nephites was slain” Alma 49:23.

What intrigued me about the Nephites was how they acted while they were at war — the kind of thoughts they had and their attitude. This is where I know I need improvement!

“The people of Nephi did thank the Lord their God, because of his matchless power in delivering them from the hands of their enemies” (Alma 49:28). Even though the Lamanites continued to attack them, they were still blessed, “There was continual peace among them, and exceedingly great prosperity in the church because of their heed and diligence which they gave unto the word of God” (Alma 49:30).

Captain Moroni and the Nephites did all they could to protect their lives, their liberty, their wives and their children. Then they were grateful every day. As a result of keeping the commandments, they continued to prosper, to be happy and grateful even when they were at war. They continued to function at their best. Life wasn’t all about their enemy attacking them!

I think there’s some great advice in this about how to deal with my situation. I’m doing all I can to defend my virtual cities, but that doesn’t have to make me miserable. It doesn’t have to destroy my peace or cause me to sink into depression. I can still prosper, be happy, and more importantly look to God in gratitude for the many blessings he’s given me and continues to give me along the way.

What about you? How does this apply to your life? Most likely you aren’t dealing with hackers, and you’re probably not waging a violent war, but perhaps you’re fighting your own spiritual, virtual, mental or spiritual battle. How can you use the lessons from Captain Moroni and the faithful Nephites in your life?