I had been the long-term sub for 6 weeks, and all the other teachers were telling me admin would be silly to not just hire me, plus I was starting to click with my students. ⁣

The principal called me in for a meeting, where I was SURE that the full-time position would be offered to me, a new BYU grad. ⁣

Instead… she told me that someone else had been hired before I had started subbing, they just couldn’t start until January.

I had been the place-holder. ⁣And I didn’t even know it.

I was crushed.

Why?! This would have been PERFECT!⁣

And then I was frantic.

I applied for jobs like crazy because we needed the income.

Within a few days, I had been offered my first full-time teaching position at a school that would be my home for the next 4 years.

I would make lifelong friends and meet students who would change my life. ⁣

Luckily, my period of “not knowing” lasted only a few weeks – from finding out I didn’t have the first job to discovering I felt “at home” at the new one. ⁣

There are many other times when I’ve had to wait a lot longer in that “not knowing” phase.

A lot longer. ⁣

Nephi was an older man living in the promised land when he started to write a complete record of his people. ⁣

And then, he received direction from the Lord that he should write another account of the same exact time period, but instead focus on spiritual matters. ⁣

His response? ⁣

“Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not.” (1 Nephi 9:5)

Have you ever considered that Nephi died without ever knowing why he was writing these second plates?⁣

That’s a long time to dwell in “not knowing” limbo. ⁣

It’s always inspirational to tell our stories where “not knowing” turned into “perfect timing” after some hindsight.⁣

But sometimes, we are asked to just stay in “not knowing”.

Maybe even for the rest of our lives.

But Nephi teaches us through his example that the way to survive our “not knowing” is trust with all our hearts that God has a wider purpose than we could ever imagine.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Not Knowing  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

She sat her teenagers down and told them something new they would try:

She would be setting time limits on certain apps on their phones.

One child in particular expressed some unhappiness about this new limit.

So the mom said that she would set the same exact time limits on the same apps on HER phone that she was requiring for them.

They would all be in this new challenge together.

And she would take the lead. ⠀⁣⁣

She was then shocked the next day when her “time limit” alert came much sooner than she expected.

She didn’t realize how much she probably needed the time limits, too.⁣

What a beautiful example of a mother leading by example in her family.

She was then able to sympathize and work on her own habits, while setting an invaluable example for her teenagers. ⠀⁣⁣

Who partook of the fruit first in Lehi’s dream? ⁣

Lehi.⠀⁣⁣

This fruit “…was desirable above all other fruit.” (1 Nephi 8:12)

Lehi tasted of that happiness and joy first.

And THEN he desired that his family should partake of this same happiness.⁣

I think the order of this is so important.⁣

He tasted of this joyous fruit, STAYED by the tree, and beckoned his family members to come join him.

He didn’t tread through the mists of darkness, he didn’t search through the great and spacious building, he didn’t wade through the water.⁣

He didn’t look at the tree from afar, hoping everyone else could get there but not making his own journey his top priority.

He stayed by the tree as an example for his family members to follow.

And many of them did follow him!⁣

This is my passionate viewpoint for scripture study as well.⁣

Are WE studying and learning and growing from the scriptures, tasting of that fulfilling JOY that comes from the Book of Mormon, and then beckoning our family members to come join us?⁣

Or do we sometimes try to push our family members toward the scriptures and the tree while forgetting to stay by the sweet, pure, happy tree ourselves?⁣

“Let’s stay at the tree, partake of the love of God, and share it. By lifting the people around us, we ascend together.” – Sister Runia Oct 2023

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Phone Usage and Staying at the Tree  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Lehi started by traveling through darkness for several hours.⁠

Several hours of darkness.

Can you imagine how that felt?

Actually, maybe you can imagine what it is like to feel darkness and emptiness for an extended time.

But Lehi wasn’t just randomly in the darkness.

He knew he was supposed to be there!

He had followed an angel in a white robe to this very spot.

Can you imagine how confusing that might have felt?

Actually, maybe you know what it is like to follow a prompting and feel like the heavens are closed despite your obedience.

So what did Lehi do at this point?

Honestly, pause for a moment and think about what you would do.

Led by an angel and then seemingly abandoned in the darkness for hours.

What would you do next?

Here’s what Lehi did:

“And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.” (1 Nephi 8:8)

Lehi prayed!

Lehi prayed that the Lord would have mercy on him.

No frustration.

No complaining.

No accusations.

Just pure humility from Lehi.

“To be humble is to recognize gratefully our dependence on the Lord.” – Gospel Topics, “Humility”

I have learned that asking for mercy from God is not as easy as it may sound.

Asking for mercy, pleading for mercy, shows an ultimate understanding of our true relationship with God.

It embodies the abandonment of all entitlement.

We all wander dark, empty areas.

Some of us for longer than others.

And for some of us, it was righteousness and promptings that brought us to the darkness.

But will we stay humble in the darkness?

If we continue to plead for mercy and recognize our dependence on God even in the darkness, then a beautiful experience of enlightenment may be just around the corner.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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