There he is, watching the demise of his people, and rewriting the records from hundreds of years of Nephite history. ⁣

Mormon has the gift of wisdom, and while he does a great job at narrating the events from the plates, he can’t help but interject his own lessons throughout his abridgment. ⁣

And what’s that famous phrase that signals us that Mormon is about to teach a lesson?⁣

“And thus we see…”⁣

(Sometimes, “thus we can behold…”)⁣

He switches from story-telling to spiritual commentary. ⁣

He takes a time out from telling us about who was the chief judge and who was murdered and who was baptized…⁣

And instead focuses on the lesson to learn. ⁣

“And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.” -Helaman 12:3⁣

Mormon is a great example at using BOTH storytelling and explicit teaching in order to get a point across. ⁣

I think it can be easy to think that by living a pretty righteous life, our kids will catch on. ⁣

Don’t get me wrong, setting the right example is probably the most important element in teaching the gospel to our kids.

But it’s not the only element. ⁣

We also need to explicitly teach gospel principles to our children. ⁣

In family nights, studying Come Follow Me, and other home-centered gospel learning, there are so many chances to do some straightforward teaching.

And not always in formal settings either!

Mormon beautifully weaved his “thus we see..” observations throughout his summaries. ⁣

So when my kid sees a church building out of the car window and yells, “church!”, I can take that moment to teach them about why I love church and how happy it makes me. ⁣

I can’t be afraid to teach. Or even hesitant to teach. ⁣

I HAVE to be explicit. I have to point out the spiritual lessons in real-time as much as I can. ⁣

Because we truly need both: the examples and stories, and the Godly principles being boldly proclaimed.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post And thus we see…  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Let my mind wander.

It’s hard, because I used to be so focused on trying to keep my brain focused and NOT letting it wander.

But then I realized that “wandering” was often the time when my brain was digesting information, receiving little bits of inspiration, and thinking about stuff that had happened that day.

In other words, I was pondering.

Even if I felt like my brain was wandering “off-topic”, I have found that if my scriptures are open and I have sincere intent, even the most random place me brain wants to explore might lead me exactly where the Spirit needs to inspire or enlighten.

So I intentionally build in time to let my mind wander.

(Side note: setting a time limit to study instead of just doing “a chapter a day” helps give your brain permission to wander more too!)

But this is often really tricky because who has extra time to just sit there and let their mind wander on purpose?!

Our days are filled to the brim with other priorities.

We place value on “getting things done.”⁣

So if I’m just sitting there with my scriptures, staring off into space, and thinking, what am I actually accomplishing?⁣

Did you happen to notice what Nephi did in order to allow the voice of the Lord to speak to him and give him great power?⁣

“And it came to pass as he was thus pondering. . . .” (Helaman 10:3)

Nephi pondered, too!

He took the time as he traveled to be quiet.

He thought about previous miracles and revelations he had received in his life.

And that quiet pondering is what led the Lord to give him amazing power. ⁣

Are we making quiet moments?

It’s so tricky.

But if the Lord is going to speak, if His Spirit is going to inspire, even with the simplest of messages, They need space to work.

Taking that powerful step to ponder opens us up to God’s power, allows us to obtain personal revelation, and gives us the chance to feel real peace.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Ponder this first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Going from working full time to then being responsible for a tiny infant all day long really threw my mental health for a loop.

One day, my very perceptive husband came home from work and said, “I’m completely handling Quin. Leave this house. Go do something you want to do on your own.”⁣

And so I got in the car… ⁣

And I had no idea where to go.

I needed a break from my baby, but I didn’t know what I needed to replace it. ⁣

And so I leaned into the cliche, drove to Target, walked around aimlessly for a while, and then drove home. ⁣

Now since that day almost 7 years ago, I’ve come a loooong way!⁣

Just this past week during a few kid-free moments, I reorganized a toy closet, studied my scriptures in total silence, sorted my kids’ shoes, played the piano, took a much-needed nap, talked with a friend, and sang in a choir.

And there was another kid-free time this week when I scrolled social media endlessly, clicked on article after post after video, and played a game on my phone that went way longer than what I actually enjoyed, but I “just had to finish it”.

Clearly, I don’t have a total handle on my agency yet.

But I’ve come a long way in learning how to make positive, righteous, fun, and meaningful decisions with my time!⁣

And this is what fascinates me about the Lord giving Nephi power to do whatever he wished in Helaman Ch 10.⁣

The Lord trusted Nephi to ALWAYS make a righteous decision in the name of the Lord.

Nephi wasn’t going to give in to wicked decisions. But Nephi also wasn’t going to sit in indecisiveness and waste time.

“All things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.” – Helaman 10:5

The Lord KNEW Nephi would make the best decisions with his abundance of agency. ⁣

That’s what I’m working towards. ⁣

Not that I always have to be “busy”. But that when I’m given “free time”, I make righteous decisions that will either rejuvenate me, bring me happiness, or push me to grow. ⁣

Because learning to use my agency wisely is the ultimate sign of trust I feel I can show my Heavenly Father.

“God wants for us a radical reorientation of our selfish and prideful impulses, the eviction of the natural man.” – Elder Patrick Kearon

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What do you really want?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I have definitely thought this before.

He could just go “live”, do some awesome miracle, and boom, everyone will be converted to Jesus.

Now truthfully, most miracles are sacred and personal.

Many aren’t meant to be displayed or even proclaimed publicly. ⁣

But I can think about stories in the scriptures when miracles HAVE been performed for large groups of people.

Like when Nephi told the people their chief judge had been murdered and then accurately told them how to catch the killer.

“And it came to pass that they went and did, even according as Nephi had said unto them. And behold, the words which he had said were true.” (Helaman 9:37)

After this crazy, public, dramatic miracle…

Some people were converted.

But… others explained it away.

What?

How could you see that and not believe?!

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Faith is a choice.

We choose whether or not a miracle will strengthen our faith or whether we will explain it away.

We choose whether or not we see life through a lens of constant miracles or through a lens of random unorganized events.

We choose whether or not we allow miracles to humble our hearts and turn to God or whether we will appeal to our prideful knowledge and doubt.

“It is not by marvelous manifestations unto us that we shall be established in the truth, but it is by humility and faithful obedience to the commandments and laws of God.” – Joseph F. Smith

Miracles, both big and small, are everywhere.

If we look for the small miracles each day and intentionally try to grow our faith, then the big stuff will only strengthen us even more!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post A public miracle  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.