Well, maybe not super easy. ⁣

But at least, I think could do it. ⁣

But…

Some of my highest highs AND my lowest lows in life have come from interacting with other people. ⁣

I’ve laughed til my belly aches and cried in moments of vulnerability with good friends. ⁣

And I’ve endured awkward moments and painful misunderstandings with good friends, too. ⁣

I’ve experienced more love than I ever thought possible with my family members. ⁣

And I’ve had to practice patience and forgiveness more than I ever thought possible with my family members. ⁣

I’ve been uplifted and edified by things that my fellow ward members have said. ⁣

And I’ve been shocked and frustrated by things that my fellow ward members have said. ⁣

I’ve had sweet, kind interactions with strangers at parks, stores, or schools. ⁣

And I’ve had terribly rude interactions with strangers at parks, stores, and schools. ⁣

Getting outside of ourselves is where life gets extra messy, but also extra beautiful. ⁣

And I think that’s why the Lord reminds the Saints as they prepared to move to Ohio that they HAD to look out for each other. ⁣

They couldn’t just each take the journey on their own with their own resources. ⁣

Well, maybe a few of them could have made it in their own that way, but they would have left a lot of people in the dust in New York. ⁣

And so the Lord cautioned in D&C 38:27, “If ye are not one ye are not mine”.⁣

We NEED each other. ⁣

The second great commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. ⁣

And so if the adversary can get us to just think about ourselves all the time, he’s won half the battle. ⁣

We have to be one. ⁣

We have to experience the messes that come from meeting new people, awkward moments, and misunderstandings so that we can also practice living the gospel in action. ⁣

Unity and oneness can’t begin if we don’t even know each other. ⁣

And if we are not one, then we are not His.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Kind strangers, frustrating strangers  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I had so many things on my to-do list, and after a tough day with my kids…

I just honestly didn’t want to be there.

There was a service activity set up on the tables that required us to sew.

(Something that I am not good at.)

I glanced over at the dessert table in the corner and noticed it was filled with cheesecake.

(My least favorite dessert.)

Pride is one of the sneakiest sins because it’s tricky to notice.

I wish I could tell you I had a change of heart at that service activity…

But I didn’t.

It wasn’t until I was reflecting later that I realized most of my bad attitude stemmed from me thinking all about myself and what I thought was best.

What if I had walked in with a humble attitude, ready to serve and do God’s will?

Maybe I could have made a new friend.

Or comforted someone else who was having a rough day, too.

Maybe I could have humbly tried to learn a new skill and strengthened a friendship in the process.

Maybe I could have offered to help clean up while others enjoyed dessert so the organizers wouldn’t have to stay late.

The Lord so succinctly warns: “Beware of pride.” (D&C 38:39)

It is truly so difficult to weed out pride in our fallen state.

But I have found it becomes much easier when I think:

“Is this what a humble servant of God with a soft and willing heart would do?”

Beware of pride.

“Simply stated, if you or I do not believe we could be afflicted with and by pride, then we are vulnerable and in spiritual danger.” – David A. Bednar

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Beware of pride  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I’ve been there. ⁣

It’s rough. ⁣

But I’ve also come to believe that the trials we experience become our own specific superpowers to help us look out for those going through similar struggles. ⁣

They are little lessons for us. ⁣

You wished someone would have showed up on your doorstep with a treat and a hug? ⁣

Then we can be that person to someone else. ⁣

You wish your ministering sister would have at least checked in on you from time to time?⁣

Then we can check in on her often. ⁣

Life is so unbelievably unfair and difficult. ⁣

We can think about that all the time and wallow in self-pity for all the help we didn’t receive. ⁣

Or we can use that as fuel to become “that person” for someone else. ⁣

As the Saints in New York were asked to start making the journey to Ohio, they were advised by the Lord to especially look out for the poor and the needy. ⁣

This trip was going to take a lot of money and sacrifice, and the Lord didn’t want any of His children left behind due to financial hardship. ⁣

And so His counsel?⁣

“Let every man esteem his brother as himself”. (D&C 38:24)⁣

If YOU needed a place for your family to stay after selling your farm and before leaving for Ohio, what kind of help would you want?⁣

Then BE that kind of help for someone else. ⁣

Life is hard enough without spending time and energy on thinking about how unfair we have it. How forgotten we feel. How rough our hand of cards is. ⁣

And so I’d rather treat others the way that I wish that I had been treated. ⁣

To allow my trial to be my specific training for how to serve those around me even better. ⁣

We can be the change that we wish to see.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post I’ve been forgotten  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I was at a restaurant with some of my work colleagues a few years ago, and had just been introduced to someone new who had been hired onto our team.

This new colleague had asked me if I wanted him to get me a beer inside.

I told him thanks for the offer but that I didn’t drink alcohol.

He responded:

“Oh! Do you not drink because of your church, or is it a personal choice?”

I only had a split-second to gather my thoughts.

But I was somehow able to respond by saying:

“Well, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, if that’s what you’re getting at, so yes, my religion asks us not to drink alcohol.

“But it is also a personal decision that I’ve made to follow that advice and not drink alcohol.”

He graciously said, “Of course, I get it!”

(For the record, we worked together very well afterward, so he obviously didn’t think I was too crazy for my response.)

Really, I just wanted to let him know that I didn’t abstain from alcohol only because my church told me not to.

I had made a personal decision to follow the counsel and had felt that decision confirmed to me many times.

The Lord gave the new Saints in New York a big, life-altering commandment to move to Ohio.

But the Lord ended this commandment with an interesting note:

“Behold, here is wisdom, and let every man choose for himself.” (D&C 37:4)

The Lord gives commandments.

The church gives guidelines.

Our prophet gives challenges.

Our bishop gives us callings.

And yet, we always get to choose for ourselves.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Why don’t you drink?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.