I had prayed. I had done my research. I had written out pros and cons lists. I had talked with friends. ⁣

And I still had no clue which school to pick. ⁣

I kept praying.⁣

And still, I felt nothing. ⁣

Why wasn’t I getting the direction I was looking for? ⁣

I spent all summer thinking, delaying the final decision until the final deadline. ⁣

Still with no heavenly answer…

I finally just picked a school.

And it turned into a beautiful experience that was perfect with me, led me to amazing friends, and gave me great academic opportunities. ⁣

“Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good” (Alma 37:37).

So why hadn’t I been directed in the way I expected?

I have had countless times when I HAVE felt guided and directed by Heavenly Father in decisions I have made. ⁣

But I’ve also had a few of these experiences, where I look to Heaven and don’t hear anything. ⁣

Here’s what I think:

Being unmistakably directed in 100% of my actions would remove the need for agency and would stifle my growth.

Heavenly Father knew that I needed to “own” my school decision 100%. ⁣

And He trusted ME to make that decision all on my own. ⁣

He trusted me to study, ask, ponder, research, contemplate, and then decide. All by myself.

During that long decision-less summer, I think He was teaching me a totally different but more valuable lesson.

He knew I would figure out the school predicament.

But He knew I would need to learn the skill of making decisions quickly and with confidence by suffering through the painstaking opposite.

And so even when I didn’t think He was directing me, He was directing me for the greater good by allowing me to teach myself the lesson I had no clue I was learning. ⁣

He is there. He is listening. ⁣

Sometimes He needs to intervene and tell me what to do. Sometimes He wants to give me a nudge in the right direction. ⁣

And sometimes, He wants me to learn that I can trust myself and still learn the lessons He has directed for me.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The long summer  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It’s a question we’ve all asked.

While I think pride is absolutely a big factor, Alma tells Helaman about one big sin to look out for:⁣

“. . . do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way.” (Alma 37:46)

Saying my prayers every day should be something pretty easy. ⁣

It’s just a few minutes in the morning, a few minutes at night, and all I need to do is turn my attention to God for a bit. ⁣

That sounds so simple!⁣

And yet, those slothful temptations seem to pile on. ⁣

”I’m too tired right now – I’ll do it later.”⁣

“I can’t focus right now.”⁣

“It’s not that big of a deal to skip it tonight.”⁣

And slowly, I’ve built up an arsenal of excuses for not doing the most simple thing I can do–

A task that involves zero supplies and only my mind communing with God for a few short minutes. ⁣

When it is so easy to do something that will build up our testimony, strengthen our connection with God, bring our families closer together…

Then it is also really easy to not do it. ⁣

So I think it’s good to reflect.

What slothful excuses are keeping me from doing the simple things right now?

And when I start to break down that wall of excuses, I realize yet again how simple it is to connect with heaven.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Too tired to pray  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

… great humans are raised. ⁣

By eating foods that provide nutrients, by moving your body every day, by loving your body for what it can do…⁣

… great, healthy lives are lived. ⁣

By thanking your spouse often, by intentionally connecting with them each day, by comforting instead of criticizing…⁣

… great marriages are created. ⁣

By meeting deadlines, by treating coworkers with respect and kindness, by doing your best even when no one is looking…⁣

… great, hardworking individuals are formed. ⁣

By being kind to yourself in your own thoughts, by setting healthy mental boundaries, by taking time to do things you enjoy…⁣

… great, fulfilled people are molded. ⁣

By opening your book every single day, by taking time to ponder and write, by reading supplemental materials…⁣

… great, passionate scriptorians are born. ⁣

It’s easy to lose perspective when we are in the thick of the little things. ⁣

But looking back, we can see where our habits and actions have led us. ⁣

“By small and simple things are great things brought to pass” (Alma 37:6).

⁣And so we can look forward with that same foresight and purpose. ⁣

The little things you do today, from mundane to meaningful, from exciting to expected, are adding up to greatness. ⁣

“Frequently it is the commonplace tasks we perform that have the greatest positive effect on the lives of others, as compared with the things that the world so often relates to greatness.” – Howard W Hunter

The little things seem so little, but are truly little pieces of greatness.

Which little pieces will you add to your life today?

The post Little pieces of greatness  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I went to my closet to get dressed. . .

And the blouse that I wanted was curled up in a ball on the floor, stinky, wrinkled beyond repair, and unwearable.

Panic set in.

In my mind this was a disaster.

I was nervous enough for the job interview, and now my planned outfit wasn’t going to work out?!

Immediately, I folded my arms and said a quick prayer. ⁣

I asked for comfort to calm my heart, and for me to figure out what to do next.

I looked at my closet, found a new shirt I felt confident about, and I was in my car just a few minutes later. ⁣

As I was driving to the interview, I was praying that I would interview well, that I would get the job if it was His will. . .

And then I laughed a bit. ⁣

Had I really just prayed about what shirt I was wearing?⁣!

This is my favorite thing that I’ve learned about my loving Father in Heaven:

There’s nothing too big AND nothing too small for Him to care about. ⁣

Alma testified, “I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind.” (Alma 36:27)

Every single kind of trouble.

He’ll support us through the heartbreaking tragedies. The big stuff.

But He’ll also support us when we can’t find the shirt we wanted to wear.

He’ll support us when we don’t know how to respond to some contention in our calling.

He’ll support us when we are sad to miss out on something we were excited for.

He’ll support us when we forget something that causes a little inconvenience.

God really will support us through every single kind of trial and trouble that we can have.

We just need to remember to actually turn to Him whenever any sort of trouble sets in.

If it matters to you, it matters to Him.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The wrinkled shirt first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.