At dinner time, the boys with the longer reach were able to grab the most food. ⁣

But the family realized that this was bringing a lot of contention. ⁣

Greed from the older boys, and resentment from the younger boys. ⁣

And so they counseled together and came up with a solution:⁣

Each boy had to keep at least one foot on the floor when they reached for more food. ⁣

This led to a fun way to eliminate contention. ⁣

President Nelson (who shared a version of the above story) counseled:⁣

“My concern is that contention is becoming accepted as a way of life. From what we see and hear in the media, the classroom, and the workplace, all are now infected to some degree with contention.”⁣

He said that in… 1989. ⁣

I think it’s powerful to notice two things:⁣

First, contention is literally from the devil. ⁣

He will try anything to get us to avoid the first two great commandments – to love God, and to love others. ⁣

But the second lesson is much more hopeful:⁣

Rooting out contention starts at home. ⁣

The parents of the boys at the table didn’t let the contention stay. They didn’t throw up their hands and say, “Boys will be boys!”⁣

They modeled and encouraged their sons to find a way to solve the problem in unity, while getting rid of contention. ⁣

I believe fully and completely that we can stand up for the things we believe in, point out injustice, discuss various opinions, and be powerful forces for good, without needing any contention. ⁣

And how did our Savior teach the people to turn away from this evil attitude?⁣

“For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.” (3 Nephi 11:29)

Of course, the answer is to turn to Jesus Christ. ⁣

He is the one who shows us the true worth of others, who wants us to feel nothing but love for the people we interact with every day. ⁣

But we have to try – we have to want it.

We have to ask our Savior to remove all contention from our hearts. And then we can receive.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The dinner problem  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“Search, ponder, and pray.”

I’ll admit that the first verb, “SEARCH”, is sometimes the trickiest for me.

Mormon, the author and compiler of 3 Nephi, counsels:

“And now, whoso readeth, let him understand; he that hath the scriptures, let him search them.” (3 Nephi 10:14)

But what does it mean to search the scriptures?⁣

When I’m preparing a church lesson, I often search through the scriptures for something related to my topic.

But I’ve discovered that there are other ways to search the scriptures, too.

I can search for manifestations of God’s love.

I can search for personal revelation.

I can search for calm.

For motivation.

For hope.

For peace.

Reading the scriptures just to cross them off my list is a good first step to creating a good relationship with them.

But it is so powerful to feel the freedom and excitement of opening the scriptures with a question or intent in mind and then searching for an answer that I know and EXPECT will come!

“Just as a road map not read, the scriptures not searched are of little value to us in providing directions.” – L. Lionel Kendrick

What are some ways that you SEARCH the scriptures?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post SEARCH the scriptures first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

The hen who has carried, borne, labored, and delivered her little chicks. ⁣

The hen who has nourished her little chicks time and time again, and gathered them every time they scattered. ⁣

There is such love because there was such sacrifice. ⁣

Selfless service and total sacrifice produce the purest love that is possible. ⁣

This is why our Savior loves us with such tender devotion. Because He sacrificed everything for us.⁣

For me. ⁣

His body was broken for me, and His mental capacity was overwhelmed with the weight of my sins.

And because He did that, He loves me fully and completely, in a special bond that can’t quite compare.⁣

Except to a mother. ⁣

Elder Holland gave his iconic, “Behold Thy Mother” talk in 2015, a few years before I became a mother. I remember thinking, “Wow. I can’t even imagine that kind of love.”⁣

“No love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child.” – President Holland

I’m now a mom to three.

There is a lot of sacrifice in order to be a mother. My body has been broken, and healed, and broken, and healed. My mental capacities have been stretched to the limits. ⁣

And because of the sacrifice, there is great love. There is a special bond that comes from that ultimate service. ⁣

Of course anyone who sacrifices out of pure love can feel this bond, too.

But Christ Himself decided to compare His feelings of love to that of a mother.

“How oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you.” (3 Nephi 10:4)

I think about the Motherly figures that He learned from, both in heaven and on earth. ⁣

It makes His comparison all the more powerful. ⁣

And so, when Christ calls to us, when He wants to gather us under His wings and give us nourishment, it isn’t out of duty or pity.⁣

It’s out of the pure love and devotion that can only come from a moment of total sacrifice.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The mother hen  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It feels icky. ⁣

Jesus doesn’t want us to be caught in that position for a long time.

He doesn’t want our spirit at war with our body.

He knows what that feels like.

Instead, Jesus wants us to feel the peace that comes when our beliefs and actions are aligned to the best of our abilities.

But this icky position is where many of the Nephites were caught when the signs of Christ’s death came.

They cried, saying:

“⁣O that we had repented before this great and terrible day.” (3 Nephi 8:24) 

In other words, they wished they had changed sooner.

Prophets had warned them for years that death and destruction would happen if they didn’t repent.

And they just hadn’t made that change. . . yet.

Jesus always invites us to change for the better.

Not just for fun.

But because He wants us to avoid being in that spot where our spirit is at war with our body.

What is something you’ve felt uncomfortable with in your life recently?

We don’t have to fix every problem all at once.

And we don’t have to fix it overnight.

But He warns us over and over again about the spiritual dangers of just sitting in that spot where we know we can take a step forward, where He knows we are fully able to change, and yet we don’t.

Our Savior will lovingly stay by our side as we choose to make a small change for the better.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Change now  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

But something finally clicked:

Do as much work as possible the night before.

Bam!

When we prepare the night before, there is so much more PEACE in the morning.

And when I taught 6th grade, I always tried to plan my weeks out ahead of time. ⁣

That way, when it was time to prep for the specific day, I knew exactly what to do. Peace. ⁣

And when I performed in piano recitals, I would practice over and over so that the notes settled into muscle memory.⁣

When it was time to play my piece? Peace. ⁣

We can’t prepare for everything.

But when we know something is coming, using our mature sense of delayed gratification to prepare NOW for what we will need LATER is what will bring us peace. ⁣

The Nephites and Lamanites in the land spent at least a few months gathering all of their families, supplies, livestock, and food into one place. ⁣

They prepared enough for seven years. ⁣

“The Nephites being in one body, and having so great a number, and having reserved for themselves provisions, and horses and cattle, and flocks of every kind, that they might subsist for the space of seven years”. – 3 Nephi 4:4

And so when the robbers attacked?

Peace.

They turned to God in prayer rather that turning from their enemy in fear. ⁣

And their preparation ended up being exactly what caused their enemy’s demise. ⁣

Because the robbers had not prepared. ⁣

They couldn’t live on “borrowed oil”. ⁣

So what can we do right now to prepare for the future? ⁣

Whether we need to get something organized, send an email, or strengthen a part of our testimony, the principle of preparation is a beautiful lesson in using our hard work NOW to make room for peace LATER.

“The great blessing of being prepared gives us freedom from fear.” – L. Tom Perry

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Crazy mornings  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Years ago, I was reading the comments on one of these posts.

I think it was about an old man who had given a candy to some lady’s son, and it was an answer to her prayer. ⁣

Something like that.

Many of the comments on this post said essentially the same thing: ⁣

“If only everyone was a little more like this old man!”⁣

“The world would be so much better if everyone did something like this!”

“Wow, I remember when people were actually kind like this!”

But one comment stood out to me:

“There is no use in hoping everyone else would be nicer unless we all decide to be a little nicer. And that starts with you. When you see these types of stories, use them to reflect on how YOU can change, how YOU can be a better person, or be more like the person in the story. Don’t use them as chances to wallow in pity that everyone else isn’t more like them.”⁣

I’m not exaggerating when I say this random Facebook comment completely changed my perspective.

It’s easy to look at scriptures about how the Nephites’ near-perfect civilization was broken apart by pride and see how harmful their habits were:

“Some were lifted up unto pride and boastings because of their exceedingly great riches, yea, even unto great persecutions.” (3 Nephi 6:10)

But while it’s easy to point out what they did wrong, it takes a lot more spiritual maturity to see how WE can improve based on the stories we read. ⁣

Let’s start looking inside more!

Instead of wishing the world was less prideful, we as individuals can try to become less prideful, more loving, more meek, and ultimately more Christlike.

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Ghandi

Unless your life is completely devoid of pride or selfishness or rebelliousness, then there’s no use in hoping everyone else was better.

And… if we were completely devoid of those vices, we probably wouldn’t have a desire to criticize anyone else anyway.

“Lord, is it I?”

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The viral inspirational story  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I told her that I couldn’t even imagine what she was going through and that she was in my prayers as she prepared. ⁣

She responded:

“It’s really been such a beautiful ride. All of it. I think it comes down to, do you trust Him? And I trust Him so I’ve just felt peace. Do you know what I mean?”

And I knew EXACTLY what she meant.

I’ve had similar moments.

Those times where, on paper, everything should seem dark.

The diagnosis.

The loss.

The heartbreak.

These times should be dark. ⁣

Maybe you are going through a time that, on paper, sounds pretty dark right now. ⁣

Whatever version of “hard” you’ve been dealt right now. ⁣

But the sign of Christ’s birth in the Americas wasn’t just for the Nephites and Lamanites. ⁣

This is what Christ has always done.

This is what He continues to do. ⁣

When the sun goes down, when things are SUPPOSED to be dark,⁣

He brings us that light. ⁣

The whole night long. ⁣

He doesn’t erase the night.

He doesn’t usually get rid of the tough situation. ⁣

But He gives us that sustaining light THROUGH the night.

The power to see true perspective, to see His plan, to feel His love. ⁣

“Oh Savior, stay this night with me.”⁣

What a beautiful gift that He gives us, that I can never even begin to repay. ⁣

“…at the going down of the sun there was no darkness”. (3 Nephi 1:15)

He makes things light, especially when it should be dark.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post It should be dark, right? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

In case you haven’t seen the movie…

The villain of the movie wants to give technology to everyone that will allow them to act like superheroes.

His motivation for doing this?

He wants to make the real superheroes seem less special.

He famously says, “Because when everyone is super. . . no one will be!”

The more common something is, the less special it seems.

“The people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven.” (3 Nephi 2:1) 

I’m sure the first miraculous sign of Christ’s birth was unforgettable.

But the 5th?

The 10th? 100th?

Eh, they’d seen that before.

WE wouldn’t have become “less astonished” at a sign from heaven if we had lived then, right?!

But think about the abundance of blessings Heavenly Father has given us RIGHT NOW.

He wants us to access the power of prayer each day!

He allows us to gain inspiration from the scriptures!

He pleads with us to listen to words of living prophets, make powerful covenants in the temple, find ways to love the people around us…

But do we allow the abundance of spiritual touch points to make them seem less special?⁣

My kids are great at still being astonished everytime they watch “The Incredibles”.

They laugh at the funny parts and gasp at the plot twists no matter how many times they’ve seen it.

I’m working on staying in awe of every aspect of the gospel so that every single time I receive new guidance or inspiration, I am astonished—

Whether it’s my 1st time or my 100th.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post “The Incredibles”  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

A rare summer storm had moved through the area, producing more than 12,000 lightning strikes and sparking fires across the state.

Over the course of a week, one fire grew and moved until it was about 6 miles from my hometown, where my parents and countless friends and former ward members live. ⁣

While the town was still in “warning” mode, the worst news came – ANOTHER rare storm was coming that weekend. ⁣

It was going to bring strong winds that would blow right towards the town, and this storm had a 100% chance to produce countless lightning.

The situation was dire. ⁣

The warnings shifted to mandatory evacuation orders for thousands of people as the coming storm was expected to bring that fire right to town limits, and new lightning strikes would add additional chaos. ⁣

And so the stake presidency called for a day of fasting and prayer. ⁣

Word spread, and members of the town, both church members and those of other faiths, joined in special prayers that Sabbath. ⁣

They braced for the worst, but faced the future with faith. ⁣

And on Monday, the town released a statement: “The storm that was forecasted did not develop as anticipated, which is positive”.

The winds that had been forecasted and threatened the entire town, never came.

The giant forecast storm resulted in less than 400 total strikes, and no consequential fires. ⁣

By Monday evening, in a totally unexpected move, the orders were completely lifted and everyone could return back home. ⁣

It was nothing short of a miracle. ⁣

The town Facebook page lit up with testimony after testimony of people sharing their gratitude to God and their feelings of unity during the fast. ⁣

And yet, sprinkled throughout those posts were comments such as, “You really think that your prayers caused all this?”⁣

Miracles are real. They happened just as Samuel prophesied, and they happen today. ⁣

And just as in times of old, WE decide if we are going to believe.⁣

Because miracles are explained away by nonbelievers, and completely life-changing for those who do believe.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The threatening wildfire  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

He preached the gospel fervently in Zarahemla.

He was kicked out but obediently returned when the Lord asked.

He shared his message while standing on a wall.

After he finished, some people got really angry and started throwing rocks and shooting arrows at him.

He knew he was being protected by the power of God.

But he also knew his mission was complete.

He jumped down from the wall and decided to just preach to his fellow Lamanites.

“They went forth to lay their hands on him, behold, he did cast himself down from the wall, and did flee out of their lands, yea, even unto his own country.” (Helaman 16:7)

What happened next:

There were MANY people who heard Samuel’s words and believed instantly.

They knew they needed to find the high priest, Nephi.

They found him and confessed their sins.

He baptized many of them and continued to teach them as they developed their testimonies. ⁣

Nephi got to see most of the fruits of Samuel’s labors!

There are different times and seasons of our lives where we might be like Samuel:

Laying the foundation for a reward we will never know about.

And there are other times where we get the huge blessing of being like Nephi:

Seeing the beautiful fruits of the efforts of others.

There are times and spaces for both.

Even though Nephi’s role feels a bit more rewarding in the moment, none is more essential in the big picture.

We can find patience and clarity when we realize that if we do our best, the Lord has the timing all taken care of, whether or not we are around to see it!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Samuel vs Nephi  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.