“But you are being called because the Lord knows you are willing to serve. And He loves to call people who have a desire serve.”⁣

I’ll never forget when the member of the Stake presidency said this to my husband.

There was no pretentiousness. ⁣

No holier-than-thou back-patting for his new calling. ⁣

It was just -⁣

You have a desire to serve.

The Lord needs someone who is willing to serve. ⁣

So let’s have you serve in this certain capacity for a while. ⁣

Such a cool way to look at callings, right?⁣

We have to accept a calling, meaning we have to signify that we are willing.⁣

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be unto you; and if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation.” (D&C 6:8)

But what about when we don’t have an official calling? Or we want something more than what we’ve been assigned?

If we desire, we can be the means of doing much good in this generation. ⁣

We can talk with God. ⁣

And figure out what we can do.

And let’s be real— our calling can sometimes seem so unimportant. ⁣

So ordinary. ⁣

So mundane. ⁣

Because we don’t see the way God sees. ⁣

The act of service that your little kid will never remember is adding more love into the world and making their life more peaceful. ⁣

The little moment of patience just taught a future leader how to problem-solve on their own. ⁣

The text you sent to a friend that led to a short, unimportant conversation answered their prayers in a way you will never understand.⁣

If we have desires,⁣

If we are willing,⁣

The Lord will use us to accomplish much good. ⁣

So much good. ⁣

And sometimes we have no clue how much good we are creating. ⁣

Only God knows all of it. ⁣

But if we have desires, and we do the best we can, we will put so much good into the world.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post No pretentiousness first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Meaning, if we develop patience, all the other Christlike attributes, such as faith, hope, and charity, naturally fall into place.

In a divine sense, this makes sense.

Because cultivating patience means acknowledging that God is in control and that Jesus saves us.

It means setting aside our pride in thinking that we know best and using humility to admit that God’s timing is better than ours.

But no one really loves being patient.

(My kids will tell ya that, that’s for sure!)

Patience is tough.

After the eager Oliver Cowdery was given permission to translate the gold plates (not just scribing, but actually translating!)…

The Lord revoked that permission for the time being.

The Lord told Oliver,

“Be patient, my son, for it is wisdom in me, and it is not expedient that you should translate at this present time.” (D&C 9:3)

Being patient, even when we don’t understand or like the reasons why, is really the ultimate Christlike act of faith.

“Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father.

“Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God.

“Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His”. – Neal A. Maxwell

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The gateway virtue first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

The Lord speaks to us in so many ways, and the one He teaches in Section 8 is one of my favorites. ⁣

My husband and I recently had to make a decision that we were going back and forth on. ⁣

We prayed about it a lot, but our hearts weren’t telling us anything yet. ⁣

We finally logically came to the conclusion that we should go in one particular way. ⁣

After we had made that decision, our hearts started to feel at peace.

We felt super confident moving forward with our choice, and we knew we had our answer.

In one of the most famous scriptures in the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord tells Oliver Cowdery:⁣

“Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.”⁣ (D&C 8:2)

In other words – the Lord likes to send us his Spirit through both our mind and our heart. ⁣

Both!⁣

That feeling in your heart is the Spirit, but that thought in your head that seems so logical is the Spirit, too. ⁣

However, I’ve learned they don’t always speak at the same time. ⁣

With this financial decision, the logical journey came first.

I wanted to feel it in my heart. Desperately. ⁣

But I needed to make up my mind before the confirmation came. ⁣

I needed to trust my agency and use it wisely. ⁣

And then other times, I feel it in my heart before I can work through the logic. ⁣

I want it to make sense, but it doesn’t really make sense yet.

So I have to move forward in pure faith that my heart is right, and wait for the logic to catch up. ⁣

I want the heart and the mind at the same time, but I think the Lord likes to give me opportunities to practice with just one or the other. ⁣

Practice my agency with my mind, and practice my faith in God with my heart. ⁣

And eventually, sometimes much much later, I feel it in both.

The post Heart and mind first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

This would be the day I finally got my answer.

My husband and I had been trying to make a decision about buying a home.

We had found a house…

But I had a lot of reasons for not wanting to move there.

A lot.

It was a great list that I kept repeating over and over in my head.

All the reasons NOT to move there.

As we sat in the temple, I silently told God that I was ready for an answer about the house.

I was surprised when the answer came immediately, quietly, and forcefully:

“I already told you. Trust what I told you before.”

My mind was brought back to the first time I had prayed about this house.

I really felt like we should move there.

But then I started coming up with my list of “why nots.”

I had already received my answer…

But I was trying to force an answer that He wasn’t going to give.

And He lovingly brought my mind back to the moment when He had already responded.

Oliver Cowdery wanted confirmation that he was doing the correct thing by helping Joseph Smith, who many seemed to think was delusional.

And the answer Oliver got?

“If you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.

“Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter?

“What greater witness can you have than from God?” (D&C 6:22-23)

God answers prayers.

And He sometimes lovingly reminds us to trust the answers we’ve already received.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Should we buy the house?! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.