Moroni’s life and his own commentary reveal that he was going through pretty much exactly what brave Anna was experiencing in her dark cave. ⁣

Can you imagine being all alone?

And not knowing what was going to happen to you next?⁣

After having lived a life of general predictability, being thrown into a situation where you have absolutely no idea what tomorrow might bring?⁣

Moroni had been honest ever since his father died. ⁣

He didn’t think he was going to live very long. ⁣

So he hurried and wrote down his father’s last teachings. ⁣

But then… he was still alive. ⁣

So he looked at the Jaredite records, and had a prompting that he should abridge those. ⁣

Halfway through, he said goodbye again. ⁣

But after still being alive, he kept going until those records were complete.⁣⁣

And then he was still alive. ⁣

As unpleasant as it might seem, Moroni was actually expecting to be killed, time after time. ⁣

And so when his plans changed and he was left with unexpectedly large amounts of free time, what did he do?⁣

He did the next right thing. ⁣

He didn’t spend his days wasting away, thinking that his death would come eventually. ⁣

And he didn’t wait to see the whole big picture before jumping in. ⁣

He just took a step.

And then another step.

And then another, not being able to see the next step until he had taken the one right in front of him. ⁣

I’ve had plenty of times where my life has turned upside down.

Searching for a job that wasn’t coming, leaving an opportunity that I loved, or even having some summer plans completely change. ⁣

On a much, much smaller and less dramatic scale, I have often needed to remind myself of this same lesson. ⁣

I can’t see the whole plan.

I can’t know the purpose for every action. ⁣

But I think I can figure out what the very next right thing is, and take that step.

And that keeps me moving forward, through the darkness of uncertainty.

“Now I, Moroni, after having made an end of abridging the account of the people of Jared, I had supposed not to have written more, but I have not as yet perished…” (Moroni 1:1)

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Ready for a spiritual thought from Frozen 2?! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I was preparing a lesson I had to give on Friday to my group of teenage girls in my counselor group.

I prayed and pondered a lot.

Eventually I had a story pop into my mind to share and center my lesson around. ⁣

Friday came, and it was a beautiful experience!

The Spirit was present.

Girls opened up about their feelings.

I knew that I had followed the promptings of the Spirit. ⁣

⁣The next week came, now with a brand new group of girls.

I felt so excited for Friday’s lesson since it had gone so well the previous week!

Except, I kept having the thought to re-plan it.

I didn’t feel good about it.

I pushed that thought to the side, though, because the previous week’s lesson had been so successful.

I never replanned.

Friday came, and I taught the lesson the same exact way. . .

And it was a total flop.

I didn’t feel the Spirit, I could tell my girls weren’t feeling it, and I just felt confused.

We can’t do the exact same thing every time and expect Him to be present.

The Spirit is not a calculation.

Moroni taught, “. . . the power of the Holy Ghost led them whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing.” (Moroni 6:9)

The Spirit is dynamic, adaptive, and exactly what we need it to be.

If we cling too much to how the Spirit worked for us in the past or how it worked for others, we might miss out on the blessings that come from asking the Spirit what we need right now.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The perfect EFY lesson  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Was this a time that I needed to hold her accountable?

Or was this a time that my little girl needed my grace and immediate forgiveness?

My brain quickly scanned through everything I know about child development, from what I’d learned in college courses, my teaching experience, and even parenting social media accounts. ⁣

I honestly couldn’t figure out which way was the best way to go in the moment. ⁣

And then I remembered, for the millionth time, that I could ask for the Spirit to guide me. ⁣

The Spirit could tell me what was best in that moment, for this exact daughter of God. ⁣

I didn’t have to tough it out with my knowledge alone. ⁣

I could certainly use my knowledge, but also call upon the Spirit to give me the nudge in the right direction. ⁣

And so I closed my eyes, said a quick prayer, and felt one option come to mind, with a few specific changes. ⁣

Having the Spirit with us constantly is THE biggest blessing I could ever hope for. ⁣

The constant, personalized, and godly guidance, comfort, and impressions are my lifeline to heaven. ⁣

That is the point of partaking of the sacrament each week. ⁣

To repent and change our hearts in the ways that we need so that we can qualify to ALWAYS have the Spirit with us again. ⁣

“…always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them.” (Moroni 4:3)

That is what makes the sacrament so essential, and what makes our Savior’s great atoning sacrifice so profoundly important. ⁣

We need to have completely pure intent in order to feel Divine guidance in our lives. ⁣

And we need to have that reset every single week in order to turn us back to the Savior. ⁣

Having the Spirit with us is the best gift that we have been given – and so we have to do our part to re-qualify each week, and then call on that heavenly guidance.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

The “Church” and the “gospel” are technically two separate things.

And we need BOTH.

While we can love belonging to the Church, we have to become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But I also believe that while we can become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, we also must fully participate in, embrace, and even love the Church.

Moroni reflected on these questions at the end of his life.

He said that after being baptized, “. . . the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.” (Moroni 6:5)

He also mentions teaching each other the scriptures, taking the sacrament, and getting rid of all iniquity.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is what it’s all about.

But we wouldn’t have this gospel in its fullness without the Church.

I love the Church.

I love that we can coordinate to serve and respond to disasters better.

I love that we can build temples and perform temple work.

I love that we can send out missionaries.

I love that we can make covenants with God and build holy temples.

What else would you add to the list of why you love the Church?

Of course, dealing with mortal humans with pride, weaknesses, sins, egos, and misunderstandings can make things very (very very) tough.

Separating the gospel of Jesus and the Church can often be helpful in rooting our love and commitment to the Savior above all else.

Loving God, Jesus, and Their gospel of truth is absolutely essential.

But administering the gospel in its fullness through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a beautiful and absolutely essential element, too.

“One cannot fully achieve [the doctrine of Christ] in isolation, so a major reason the Lord has a church is to create a community of Saints that will sustain one another”. – D. Todd Christofferson

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Why a Church?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.