When I pray for more opportunities to serve, I’m usually thinking about friends and neighbors who might need my help. ⁣

I feel like it’s almost “cheating” to count serving my own family members – isn’t that just something expected?⁣

Of course I’m gonna feed my kids, and change diapers, and clean up spills, and drive everyone to school, and play even when I need a nap…

It’s just what I do!⁣

But I’ve found a beautiful paradigm shift when I allow myself to think of it all as service. ⁣

“Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works”. (Mosiah 5:15)

It all is good works and service!

And when I think of it that way, I feel so much more LOVE. ⁣

I feel so much more love for my kids and my husband who I’m serving.⁣

And I feel so much more love and gratitude to my Heavenly Father. ⁣

It gives meaning behind the action. ⁣

It makes cleaning up another spill and getting up to play another game of tag purposeful and loving rather than routine and mundane. ⁣

I allow myself to view every little thing I do for someone else as “service”, and I realize I’m not “cheating the system” at all. ⁣

This IS the system. ⁣

Whether you live with one other person, roommates, or a big family – we are created to love the people we are most closely surrounded by. ⁣

And so I continue to love and serve. ⁣

I’m abounding in good works in my home, and so my home is abounding with love. 

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Service in the home counts  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

She asked me how I found time to self-reflect all of the time. ⁣

I was caught off guard by her question.⁣

What was she talking about?!

She said she admired how I took time to reflect on my actions and attitudes and adjust them so often. ⁣

When did I self-reflect?

I pictured some kind of meditation, or mindful journaling…

I didn’t think that I did that.

I tried to think about the last time I had intentionally thought about my actions.

And suddenly, my morning prayer popped into my mind!

I had self-reflected when I was giving my thanks, asking for strength in upcoming obstacles, and asking for forgiveness for my previous bad attitudes or poor judgments.

And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that King Benjamin’s counsel in Mosiah 4:30 to  “. . . watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds. . .” is built into our religious habits!

We are asked to pray constantly.

We are asked to study the scriptures and ponder on their words.

We even partake of the sacrament weekly as a more formal self-inventory.

I think part of the purpose of these habits is to get us out of autopilot!

They shake us from just going with our natural emotions, and getting caught up in all the “stuff”.

They teach us to slow down.

They invite us to reflect.

They encourage us to connect with God.

And they help us intentionally decide the best ways to change.

I’m grateful for all of the opportunities I have to watch my thoughts, built into my religious routines.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The self-reflecting religion  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Not that I’m counting or anything…

I’ve been feeling so overwhelmed recently with the sheer amount of things I need to coordinate, problems I need to solve, and people I need to communicate with.

And I mean I’ve got a lot of other things going on in my life too.

So recently I’ve just been getting super overwhelmed…

And then not doing anything because I already have other things on my plate I can focus on.

But something last week reminded me that Heavenly Father wants me to ask Him for help.

He desperately wants to help me know where to focus with the energy He knows I have.

“It is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength.”⁣ (Mosiah 4:27)

And so for the past few days, I have specifically prayed each morning for the Lord to help me know one single thing I can do that day to move things forward.

And… I’ve been shocked at how clear and simple the direction has been each day!

I’ve known who to talk to or what to plan.

And it’s been super attainable.

God is so so so good.

He doesn’t want us, His devoted servants and saints, running around, constantly overwhelmed and unable to move forward.

He’ll show us the path, or at least the very next step.

Or sometimes the path is still dark, but He will give us the strength to match the task.

But we need to ask.

“[We] wear many hats, but it is impossible, and unnecessary, to wear them all at once.

“The Spirit helps us determine which work to focus on today.” (Joy D. Jones)

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Which hat to wear  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I was 14 years old.

It was summertime.

I went to read my scriptures for a church assignment I needed to complete. ⁣(Personal Progress, anyone?!)

The assignment said to read Mosiah 4:9-12 and journal something.

I wouldn’t say I didn’t believe in God or Jesus at this time…

But I was nonchalant about my testimony.

I had never really thought about it seriously.

Church was just a bunch of rules.

But I opened up my black leather scriptures to Mosiah 4:9 and started reading:

“Believe in God.”

And suddenly, I did.

I kept reading:

“. . . believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.”

It was an overwhelming experience!

I felt like my heart would beat out of my burning chest.

I didn’t want the feeling to ever leave me!

This church wasn’t just a bunch of rules, this was all about a loving God and building a relationship with Him.

I have believed ever since that day in the most sincere and authentic ways I can.

I’ve had to do a lot to nurture and grow my testimony.

I’ve had to figure out how the Spirit speaks to me in much more subtle ways most of the time, too.

But it all started with Mosiah 4:9.

What verse changed your life?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The verse that changed my life  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.