Asking and pondering

I was done only having spiritual experiences at big events in my life.

A few years ago, I consciously decided that I was ready to have a spiritual experience every single day when I opened the scriptures.

I wanted to invite the power that I knew I could claim into my scripture study.

So I started asking “So what?” when I read. ⁣⁣

Instead of just reading powerful verses and stories and thinking “cool” — I would ask, “So what can I do in my life right now because of what I just read?”⁣⁣

And if you’ve been following this account for any amount of time, you know that is the entire premise of everything that I write and share. ⁣⁣

Lehi told his family all about his extensive dream and vision. ⁣⁣

For Laman and Lemuel, they were confused for a bit and then moved on.

But Nephi turned to the Spirit.

I imagine that he asked his own version of, “So what?”

And he was filled with the desire to experience the vision himself.

He heard the dream and decided to act – and his action was to request the vision for himself. ⁣⁣

“For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord…” (1 Nephi 11:1)

Asking “So what?” has truly transformed my scripture study experience. ⁣

Instead of reading and thinking, “Wow, that was cool!” and then never thinking about it again (or even worse, but still common, “I got NOTHING out of that”)…⁣⁣

… I’m trying to think more and more, “What does the Spirit want me to learn from this?”⁣

Nephi KNEW that the Holy Ghost would give him that personal instruction, and our current prophet has continued to make that his theme song.⁣⁣

“The Holy Ghost will be your personal tutor as you seek to understand what the Lord would have you know and do. This process is neither quick nor easy, but it is spiritually invigorating.” – President Nelson, Oct 2019

The Holy Ghost will be our personal tutor. He will teach us exactly what WE need to know from everything we go through.

BUT – we have to give him a chance to teach us. We have to ask for his help.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black