“Just do your best!”⁣

I know that many people have pure intentions when they say it. ⁣

But I have a hard time with it because… ⁣

How am I supposed to know if I did my best?⁣

There are some days where my the TV is on for a lot of the day.

And I think… was I really doing my best today?⁣

Sometimes, I’m super sick, or totally overwhelmed, or utterly exhausted, and I think that I did my absolute best for keeping children alive that day. ⁣

But other days, I wonder. ⁣

Was that really my best, or am I giving myself an out?⁣

It’s hard to know. ⁣

But I find comfort in the Lord’s beautiful advice to avoid laboring more than I have strength. ⁣

“Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength… be diligent unto the end.” (D&C 10:4)

Because I’ve realized that my strength really is different each day.⁣

Some days, I have strength to conquer the world and look good doing it. ⁣

And other days I have to muster the strength to care for my kids and all that they need, and I look like a hot mess doing it. ⁣

PLUS every single person has different “strength” each day, too!⁣

Comparing my amount of strength to other people’s amount of strength is the fastest way to feel pretty terrible about myself. ⁣

So instead, I’ve started thinking… “Man, good for them. I’m so glad she had strength to organize that for her family today.”⁣

Don’t run too fast. Don’t labor more than you have strength. ⁣

But find comfort in the fact that the craziness of mortal bodies and mortal trials gives us different levels on different days. ⁣

And when we don’t know if we are “doing our best” or just slacking off, we can follow the Lord’s advice in the very next verse. ⁣

Pray. Pray always. ⁣

And that’s how I get the nudge to push myself a little more, or to take a breather. ⁣

Because the Lord knows my strength.⁣

He isn’t judging me on a sum total of my actions each day. ⁣

He knows what I can do, what I can’t do, and what I need support on. ⁣

And He will gladly send His Spirit to give me this wisdom each and every day. ⁣

All I have to do is ask.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The phrase I actually DISlike first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

They thought Joseph was deceiving many people into supporting and believing him.

And so an evil plan entered their minds…

And they chose to keep thinking it:

“Why don’t we steal the transcribed pages, alter them, and then frame Joseph after he re-translates?

“Sure, it involves lying and deception on our end.

“But it’s okay because we are exposing lying and deception.”

Thus, the plan was put in place.

And a book of scripture was lost to our generation.

It can feel tempting to fight sin with the same type of sin and feel justified in doing it.

If someone is angry with me, I’m going to become angry with them, too.

If someone is outraged at something, I’m going to become outraged at how outraged they are.

If someone complains a lot to me, I’m going to complain to other people about how much they complain.

Satan wants us to believe that we are justified in sinning.

And he’ll use any strategy to get us there.

And I think he has succeeded quite a bit with this strategy in particular—

Sinning with the illusion that it is justified because of another’s (real or perceived) sin.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, wo be unto him that lieth to deceive because he supposeth that another lieth to deceive, for such are not exempt from the justice of God.” (D&C 10:28)

God doesn’t want us “fighting fire with fire.”

He wants us to keep His commandments and show love with integrity to all.

No matter what those around us choose to do. 

He wants us to fight fire with love and peace.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post This lie will expose that lie first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Because when I first searched for “Come, Follow Me” resources in January of 2019…

I only found ways to teach your kids about the scriptures.

Basically, family scripture study support.

And I so selfishly thought (with a 1 year old who I wasn’t really concerned about teaching yet)…

What about me?!

Where is my help and support?!

(Which led to the prompting for me to start this account, but the full saga is a story for another day.)

I have gained SUCH a strong testimony that we have to learn for ourselves first. ⁣

We have to put the oxygen mask on ourselves first.

In fact, I think that’s the best way to teach our families!

Now that I have older kids where I DO want to teach the gospel more…

I find that most of my teaching comes from my heart.

It’s from my real life experiences.

From real struggles and testimonies and tests. ⁣

It’s from what I have already studied.

(This is not a knock at lesson-helps by the way – I actually have tried and currently use many that I love. I am so grateful for those who use their talents in that area.)

And now with my Youth Sunday School calling, I try to make my top priority each week studying the material on my own and learning what the Spirit needs to teach me.

Before it even crosses my mind what to teach, I fill my own mind with learning and inspiration for my own life.

Are we sometimes TOO concerned about how to teach a topic to our kids?

How to give a good talk?

How to keep our class engaged?⁣

Or is our focus on how WE can gain a better understanding of a concept?

“Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.” (D&C 11:21)

“In order to successfully teach the gospel, you must have both the word and the power of the gospel in your life.” – David M. McConkie

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Why I started this account  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I tried it once at a mall— and I remember how weirdly hard it was to get started!

But then I figured it out and it was pretty easy.

I felt cool.

(Obviously I don’t rebel much in my life.)

I’ve heard it said though that our relationship with God is like trying to walk up an escalator that is moving down.

Meaning— it takes EFFORT.

It’s not passive.

AND if we stop making any effort, we aren’t just halting our progression—we are actually moving away from God.

What about if we stop moving completely?

The Lord reminds us what is waiting for us at the bottom of that escalator if we stop trying to connect with the divine:

“Pray always, that you may come off conqueror;

“yea, that you may conquer Satan,

“and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.” (D&C 10:5)

It’s the adversary and those who “uphold his work.”

I definitely don’t want to fall down there!

So, how do I conquer Satan?

How do I work my way up the escalator so I can feel God’s love and gain more peace if in my life?

“Pray always.”

Prayer is not just a checklist item each day.

When I pray always, I find that I am being kept away from the adversary.

Temptations don’t seem as difficult to resist.

I can more clearly see people who are just trying to drag me down.

I recognize the little lies that he tries to whisper to me.

These are blessings I desperately want in my life.

So I’m going to keep praying as much as I can and keep moving up that escalator, closer and closer to God!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Up the escalator first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.