How could they not follow the liahona’s directions with pure faith?!

I’ve certainly thought these questions before.

And while I think pride can be a large contributing 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 – I’ll try again in a little bit.”

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

And slowly, I’ve built up an arsenal of lazy 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.

Over and over.

The good news?

Things that are easy to do are also easy to do!

Once we break down the wall of slothful excuses, we see how simple it is to build righteous habits.

So see what lazy excuse you can break yourself free of today, and look, and live.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Look and live first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

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.

I started out praying for guidance on which school to pick.

But then I learned that it’s better to have more specific questions, so I tried asking about a specific school, and I still felt nothing.

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

I spent all summer spending way too long, delaying the final decision until the final deadline.

I picked a school.

I prayed for confirmation. And still, I felt no warm confirming feeling.
And yet I went to school.

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

So why hadn’t I been directed?

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.

And I’ve come to learn that being directed in 100% of my actions would remove the need for agency.

If I prayed every time I needed to make a decision and I got an answer, my faith would be unnecessary.

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.

He probably was so proud that I did all of that hard work, and eventually made a fantastic decision.

But I’ve also learned that I can make decisions a lot faster than that long summer where the options weighed over my head.

That was actually how the Lord directed me.

He was teaching me a valuable lesson that summer. 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 us what to do. Sometimes He wants to give us a nudge in the right direction.

And sometimes, He wants us to learn that we can trust ourselves and still learn the lessons He has directed for us.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Are we always directed? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

What’s your reason?

For quite a while, it was to check off my righteous to-do list for the day.

I’m supposed to read and pray every day, so I read and pray every day.

And then I started to wonder… WHY? Why is this something we’ve been asked to do every day?

And more importantly, why was I choosing to do it?

So I started thinking about the benefits of scripture study.

And my list looked a lot like what Alma tells his son Helaman in Alma 37.

Benefits of scripture study:

• scriptures enlarge memory

They give my brain more positive experiences and stories to relate to than just the experiences I’ve had. I am widening my mental database of spiritual stories that point me to Christ and goodness.

• scriptures convince me of the error of my ways

I see myself making the same exact mistakes and sins that people thousands of years ago did. And I see how they overcame it or what their results were if they succumbed.

• scriptures show me the results of incorrect traditions

I see whole groups of people living in sin under the name of “tradition”, and I consider what righteous traditions I want to make a priority in my life.

• scriptures teach me about repentance

Repentance is change, and I see this time and time again in the scriptures. People have changed their hearts and repented, which means that I can too.

• most importantly, scriptures bring me knowledge about my Savior and teach me how to rejoice in him.

I get to know my Savior in these pages. I learn about his character and his goodness. I become familiar with his power and his desires. And I learn how to bask and rejoice in his redeeming love.

The scriptures aren’t just a collection of cool stories. And they aren’t supposed to be read every single day just for the fun of it.

So my challenge to you is to make your own list, and use Alma 37 to inspire you and start you off.

Why do you study your scriptures?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Finding the WHY 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.

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.

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

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Small and great things first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I had my outfit all picked out in my head and was waiting to get changed.

And as it was time to get ready to go, I went to my closet to get dressed… and the blouse I wanted was curled up in a ball on the floor by the dirty clothes hamper.

It hadn’t been washed, it was wrinkled beyond repair, and I couldn’t wear it.

Panic set in.

This was a disaster. This was going to ruin my chance at this job. (In my mind!)

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

I found a new shirt I felt confident about and 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?!

The silliness of it hit me. The shirt I was wearing at that point was totally fine – why did I freak out when the other shirt was dirty? Why did I feel like I needed to pray about it?

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.

If it matters to you, it matters to Him.

In that moment, the loss of my “perfect” blouse was really important and devastating to me.

And it may have seemed silly, but I believe with that little prayer that I said in my closet, I was guided toward another shirt that I would feel confident in.

Every single kind of trial and trouble that we can have – from losing a loved one to not being able to wear a particular shirt – our Savior will support us though.

Not solve the problem or take away the pain necessarily.

But He supports us.

I bet He looked down at me with a little smile when I prayed about that shirt, but He still cared enough to help.

I, too, as Alma, have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Trials and troubles of every kind first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.