This past week, I wrote many of my posts on Monday. I knocked out 3 and started into my 4th post, found the scripture I wanted to write about, and hit a wall.

I KNEW the idea and thought that I wanted to convey in my post, but I literally couldn’t write the words down.

I said a little prayer to help me move forward in my writing, because when you are a young mom and have the time to sit down and write, you gotta take it! I kept praying. I kept trying to start writing the post. I told God about my timeline and how I only had a few more minutes before nap time was over.

And yet, nothing changed. I couldn’t write the 4th post.

I stopped trying, felt a little unsettled, and moved on.

I slowly posted my first posts that I had scheduled. Monday… Tuesday…

And then the world seemed to fall apart.

I looked back at the scripture that I had wanted to make that 4th post about, and it literally no longer made sense in the context I had imagined (It was all about General Conference, which had now drastically changed).

The timing just wasn’t right. Circumstances were going to change dramatically for myself and my readers so that my original words wouldn’t have the impact that I had imagined. We all needed a different message instead.

And sure enough, a new scripture and a new thought jumped out. I wrote that 4th post and posted it on Friday, and it was exactly what I needed to say.

Trying to “counsel the Lord” doesn’t always look like praying and telling the Lord exactly what he should do (although sometimes it can).

Instead, I think it can just mean that we are missing the true counsel from the Lord.

I was too busy asking for my writer’s block to be lifted, that I probably missed the message of “Wait. This has nothing to do with you. Just wait.”

So what messages are we missing right now? What answers and solutions are we waiting for so loudly, that we unintentionally miss the Spirit’s calm voice?

Slow down. Pray without an agenda. And then listen to his counsel.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Seek his counsel first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I’ve had a lot of you message me some really difficult things you are having to deal with.

Lost jobs. Scarcity of supplies for young moms. Cancelled trips. Cancelled graduations and performances. Reduced income. Health concerns. Huge unknowns.

Jacob preaches in our Come Follow Me study from this week about how the Spirit speaks of things as they REALLY are.

Isn’t that interesting?

Because we usually associate the Spirit with bringing “happy” emotions.

But if things in your life aren’t really “happy” right now, then that’s not his job at the moment.

I have been shocked but comforted when the Spirit has told me:

To just be sad.

To be disappointed.

To live in a state of “unknown” and not be comfortable with it.

The Spirit confirms my feelings.

“You’re right, this is sad.”

“This is so disappointing to lose that opportunity.”

“Things are about to get really complicated.”

But my favorite part about the Spirit is that he doesn’t just stop with telling us things as they really are.

He also tells us things as they REALLY will be.

He reminds us that the outcome has already been determined.

Christ wins.

And there is peace to be found through him and his example.

So dwell in whatever emotion you are in right now. Pour your soul out to Heavenly Father and let Him send His Holy Spirit to confirm the confusing state we are in right now.

But then allow him to show you how things will be in the future. No matter how long it takes to get there.

There is peace in Christ. 

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post A world of uncertainty first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think anyone would ever turn down the opportunity for some more money.

But what type of “riches” are we actively SEEKING right now?

For me, sometimes I am seeking acceptance. Recognition. Purpose. Appreciation. Promotion. Peace. Friendship. 

And I think that Jacob’s wise counsel to the Nephites in the temple can apply just as much to money as it can to any other thing we seek for. 

When we seek the Kingdom of God first, everything else falls into place as it should. 

It doesn’t mean that I’ll get what I was originally seeking. 

Being righteous and Christlike doesn’t mean we will be rich in the monetary sense. And it doesn’t necessarily mean we will be rich in friendships, recognition, or appreciation. 

But when we seek for Christ first, we gain confidence before God that allows our perspective to broaden and our priorities to change.

When we seek for Christ first, anything else we gain is for him. 

And conversely, it is completely possible to get the things we seek for WITHOUT seeking for Christ first. 

There are many people with an abundance of riches, friendships, appreciation, and purpose who do not seek to build up the Kingdom of God as their top priority. And they may continue to get richer and richer.

Sometimes it is so easy to tie our spiritual successes with our worldly successes. 

We can have Christ as our top priority and lose a job. 

We can have Christ as our top priority and lose friendships. 

We can have Christ as our top priority and have no recognition for the good things we do. 

So, at the end of the day, what matters? Or what do we have to have FAITH in that matters?

Christ. The Kingdom of God. 

If we build a Christlike life, it doesn’t matter what we have or don’t have, what may come or go… But it does matter that we have our priorities straight. 

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What do we seek? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I’ve been a Ward Choir Director who waits for someone else to tell me what to do and when. And I’ve been a Ward Choir Director who makes decisions through the Spirit, gets approval from certain leaders, and moves forward with confidence and authority.

I’ve been a teacher who prepares my lesson, comes to church, and teaches it. And I’ve been a teacher who gets to know the youth that I teach, tailors lessons to their needs, and follows the Spirit with how to conduct my classes.

I’ve been a presidency member who shows up to meetings and completes assignments. And I’ve been a presidency member who seeks revelation about what I contribute, takes initiative instead of waiting to be instructed, and connects with the people I serve.

Why does it matter if I’m the former or the latter example for each calling?

Absolutely, connecting with others and building up my ward family is so important.

But honestly, if my Heavenly Father needs to get a message to a 13-year-old sitting in my class, and I’m not accessing the Spirit and authority that I have, He will just find someone else to deliver the message who is more in-tune.

At the end of the day, my church callings are about my Heavenly Father and me.

Am I going to learn, as Jacob teaches, how to magnify and take responsibility?

Am I going to learn that when I am set apart for a calling, I am given priesthood authority to act?

Am I going to learn that I can still show love to imperfect people that I interact with?

Am I going to learn that I can ALWAYS choose to be Christlike, no matter the limitations I face?

The lessons I can learn are endless.

And sometimes, the lesson is that it’s okay to scale back and focus on myself for a bit.

When I look at church callings through the lens of my personal relationship with my Savior, I keep everything in perspective a little better. The frustrations, limitations and exhaustion don’t matter as much, and I seem to make better decisions on how to fulfill my assignments appropriately.

How do I use every opportunity that I can in order to be a little bit better? A little bit more Christlike?

And whenever I become more Christlike, I am magnifying my calling, no matter what it may, or may not, be.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

In the back of my mind, I always have the list of things I should be working on: More meaningful prayers, better temple worship, better at fulfilling my calling, ministering more often and with pure intent…

But then something will start to become more pressing in the front of my mind. Recently, it’s been my temple attendance.

It’s not that I choose to focus on this one thing, it just naturally starts to seem more important and I have a greater desire to improve.

It’s also not a bold, one-time prompting. It happens like the light from a sunrise. I just gradually feel that this one thing is what I should focus on right now.

For me, eventually it builds so much that I can’t possibly ignore it. I feel so strongly to take action.

And most of the time, I do.

Jacob is addressing the Nephites. It is clear that he has spoken to them often and been a great spiritual leader.

He is always concerned with speaking to them about what they need to hear, of course!

But he describes this unique weight that has been pressing him to speak more boldly about their specific trials.

It doesn’t sound like Jacob woke up that morning, received a prompting to speak in these heavy topics, and went off to the temple to preach.

Instead, I feel like he describes what I feel so often. Out of all the things that we can do, one thing slowly starts to stand out from the rest. And it builds and grows until we feel pressed with great solemnity to take action.

We feel that strong desire to finally have that conversation with our spouse. To call up that friend. To volunteer. To eliminate the sin or bad habit.

Jacob’s experience is a gentle reminder that we can work on being better at taking action earlier on in that process.

But also a tender but powerful reminder that God will help us to receive the personal revelation we need to work on NOW.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post More desire and anxiety first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.