It’s a beautiful tree!

The fruit looks perfectly white.

Everyone who partakes of it says it is absolutely delicious and fills them with such joy!⁣

So why were large groups of people headed towards the tree, but then walking away?⁣

The mists of darkness.

The temptations of the devil. ⁣

“And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost.” (1 Nephi 12:17)

Isn’t this just PERFECT imagery for how Satan’s temptations distract us?⁣

These people were suddenly choosing not to walk towards the tree because they literally could not see it anymore! ⁣

They couldn’t see how beautiful the fruit was, or how happy the people were who were eating it. ⁣

All they could see was a mist of darkness.⁣

When I have mists of darkness in my life, where I know that I am specifically being tempted, I have a hard time believing that the precious fruit (God’s love) is really there for me.

Following the iron rod to the tree seems a little too good to be true.

“All I have to do is to read God’s word and follow it until I feel of His love? Yeah… I don’t have time to read my scriptures tonight. It’s not that important. I’m dealing with some other, bigger things right now.” ⁣

We really start to cloud our own judgment. ⁣

We aren’t thinking clearly because we honestly can not SEE the happiness at the end of the path. ⁣

So how do we escape our mists of darkness?

How do we shake off Satan’s temptations so that we can just SEE what our end goal is?⁣

We hold fast to the iron rod. We don’t let go of the word of God. ⁣

We don’t let go of the scriptures and church and Conference talks just because we don’t see the point or feel the love right now.⁣

The mists WILL clear.

We WILL get to the tree. ⁣

And it’s the faith to keep holding on, even when we don’t know where God’s love is, that will lead us to the light.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Why would you let go? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I gave each student a sticky note and asked:

“What is your ‘stumbling block’ when it comes to regular and meaningful scripture study? What makes it tricky?”

We quickly had a board filled with sticky notes covered in thoughts like:

“I’m too tired.”

“I don’t have enough time.”

“It’s really hard focusing on what they mean.”

We looked and talked about the patterns we noticed.

But then I asked them:

“How can we remove each of these stumbling blocks?”

It was so cool to see the empowering look in their eyes as they realized they could quickly come up with ways to solve their problems!

The youth said:

“Read them at a different time of day.”

“Make it a priority before I do homework.”

“Get a study guide.”

An angel told Nephi that “. . . if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks.” (1 Nephi 14:1) 

God wants to help us remove our stumbling blocks.

And I believe that one way He does this is by allowing us to identify them and then seek personal revelation for how to remove them!

So what is your current ‘stumbling block’ for keeping a commandment or doing good?

Try asking God how you can remove or diminish that stumbling block and see what you can come up with together!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Sticky note stumbling blocks first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

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

The post Asking and pondering first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Nephi asked the Spirit for an interpretation of his father’s dream.

And I can just imagine how he was expecting a clear verbal explanation for each element.

But instead…

Nephi was taught the most important lesson any of us can learn:

Jesus is always the answer!

The angel showed Nephi a vision of young Mary holding her child.

And immediately, Nephi knew that the tree of life represents the love of God!

The angel showed Jesus preaching. “Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him.” (1 Nephi 11:24)

And clearly, Nephi knew that the iron rod was the word of God!

The angel showed the 12 apostles going out to preach after Jesus’ crucifixion and being persecuted.

And immediately, Nephi knew that the great and spacious building was the pride of the world.

How cool is that?

Christ WAS the interpretation of the dream!

And Christ can be the interpretation of our lives, too.

When we stay close to the Savior and learn about His life and His teachings…

We can clearly see the phone call from our friend as the love of God.

We can see the three verses of scripture we tried to read during a busy day as the word of God.

We can see that witty Instagram page as a manifestation of the pride of the world.

Jesus is always the answer.

And focusing on Him helps us to see our journeys clearly!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Jesus is the interpretation  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

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.

And two different styles of believing. ⁣

I think it’s interesting that both of them followed their father and mother into the wilderness BEFORE receiving their own witness that they were really following the Lord. ⁣

They had borrowed their parents’ faith. ⁣

But after a few days in the wilderness, they both needed to know for sure. ⁣

“I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father…” (1 Nephi 2:16)

NEPHI prayed. He cried unto the Lord. The Lord softened his heart. ⁣

“And I spake unto Sam, making known unto him the things which the Lord had manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit. And it came to pass that he believed in my words.” (1 Nephi 2:17)

And SAM believed Nephi’s words. ⁣

“Don’t be discouraged if you find yourself having to believe on the testimony of others. That in and of itself is a gift.” – Elder Rasband

I think a lot of the time I’m like Nephi. I need to know for myself. I plead with the Lord and He eventually softens my heart. ⁣

And other times, I am like Sam. The experience and strong witness of others is good enough for me. In fact, it is often accompanied by my own quieter spiritual confirmation. ⁣

But Sam might have had a hard time believing if Nephi hadn’t shared his experience.

Nephi shared his witness. And then Sam believed. ⁣

When I am like Nephi and I gain a strong witness of a principle or a doctrine, am I sharing it with the people I love? ⁣

Am I sharing it with the people around me who may benefit from it? Or just keeping my testimony and witness to myself?⁣

Conversion is powerful and personal. ⁣

But we also have the chance to uplift the Sams around us who may NEED to hear our story in order to start their own conversion. ⁣

How many times have WE been grateful for the touching stories that others have shared that have encouraged further conversion in our lives?⁣

Sometimes we are Sam, and sometimes we are Nephi.

And when we are Nephi, let’s have his courage to share what we have learned to help convert others.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Sometimes Sam and Sometimes Nephi first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

But I am so grateful for the few glimpses we get into how Lehi and Sariah interacted!

Sariah started complaining and murmuring that her sons were probably killed in the wilderness.

She couldn’t believe she trusted her “visionary” husband.⁣

She blamed her husband for her trials.

And I completely understand where Sariah was coming from–

I have blamed my husband for much more minor offenses than forcing us to leave our home and losing our children.

After Sariah complained, but before her sons returned, we see how Lehi responded:

He reaffirmed the truth of the visions he had.

And then he comforted her.

“And after this manner of language did my father, Lehi, comfort my mother, Sariah, concerning us  . . . .” (1 Nephi 5:6)

Lehi comforted his grieving and frustrated wife.

Pointing fingers in a marriage (or any relationship) is easy.

But often, what we all need is just comfort.

Despite our weaknesses, we want to know that we are loved and cared for.

Jesus did this a lot.

He comforted and mourned with those who were distraught.

And it’s a great pattern for each of us to try to emulate just a little bit better.

To try to show love in a mortal world where it is so easy to criticize.

To take off the judgmental lenses and embrace the child of God.

Great relationships involve showing comfort and love, especially when we are the most vulnerable.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Isn’t it CRAZY sometimes to think about how people in very similar circumstances can receive completely different responses to their prayers?⁣

A young couple gets married, and everyone has advice on how long they should or shouldn’t wait to have a kid, based on their own experiences and personal answers. ⁣

Parents pray together about how to deal with a specific child, and receive an answer that seems completely incomprehensible to someone else dealing with their own child. ⁣

A Bishop prays and feels that the ward should have certain initiatives or priorities, even though another Bishop has completely different ideas for his ward. ⁣

So who is wrong, and who is right? ⁣

Nephi clarified this for us in a beautiful, but often complicated lesson.⁣

“I was led by the Spirit”. ⁣(1 Nephi 4:6)

Two people, praying for exactly the same advice, may receive two completely different answers.

And if they have the Spirit with them, this is completely fine. ⁣

Two mothers may pray.

One mother may get a full-time job, and one mother may stay with her kids full-time.

As long as both are staying close to the Spirit and listening to their personal promptings, this is exactly how it should be. ⁣

It is sometimes a little difficult to read the account of Nephi slaying King Laban.

How could this make sense? Couldn’t there have been another way for Nephi to obtain these important plates?⁣

But when it comes down to it, Nephi reminds us:⁣

“I was led by the Spirit”. ⁣ (1 Nephi 4:6)

The answer he received in that moment was meant exactly for him in that situation.

And since he was close to the Spirit, that was clearly the right thing for him to do. No concerns about it. ⁣

Sometimes it can be hard to see when other people act on different promptings than we receive. ⁣

But Nephi followed the personal instructions he was given, no matter how difficult they were for him to follow. ⁣

And I think our lives are best lived when we stop worrying so much about and comparing the decisions other people are making, and instead focus on this big question:⁣

Do I have the Spirit with me?⁣

And that’s all that matters.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Married way too young first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.