“We all sin.”⁣

All of us. ⁣

Me. You. The last person you spoke to. The person you think that has a perfect life. Your loved one. Your church leader. The prophet. ⁣

Save our Savior, every single person on the earth has sinned and commits sins. ⁣

So… what sets righteous people apart?⁣

There’s a giant spectrum of righteousness, so how do we move closer and closer to our Elder Brother’s example, if we are all sinning anyway?⁣

Saints are sinners who repent. ⁣

People who feel remorse from a sin and then have a desire to never do that again.

And their desire is so strong… that they change their nature. They refine that rough edge just a little bit more. ⁣

As Joseph was returning from his mission to Missouri, there was drama and contention between some of the men. ⁣

And, in a surprisingly transparent moment, the Lord told the men about Joseph:⁣

“He has sinned.” D&C 64:7⁣

It interesting to see that written out about the prophet of the Lord, huh?⁣

Joseph sinned. ⁣

But what allowed Joseph to still hold the keys of the kingdom and not be removed?⁣

“Nevertheless, he has sinned; BUT verily I say unto you, I, the Lord, forgive sins unto those who confess their sins before me and ask forgiveness”. (D&C 64:7⁣)

So what made Joseph unique?⁣

He would sin. And then he would bring that sin to the Lord through confession. And then he would ask for forgiveness. ⁣

The Lord wants to help us to change, so this sounds like the ideal situation. ⁣

He asks us to talk about sin with Him in our prayers. ⁣

And then He asks us to leave that sin behind as we ask for forgiveness in return. ⁣

Everyone sins. ⁣

So do we let the sin fester? ⁣Do we enjoy and indulge?

Or do we immediately confess and ask for forgiveness?⁣

Because, I think that that decision makes all the difference.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post We all sin!  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

This couple was amazing!

They guest-taught Sunday School lessons.

They hosted youth activities.

They made ward and individual goals.

They did home visits.

They helped me learn how to do family history work, and I took my own family names to the temple for the first time.

It was really cool.

I was so impressed by how they chose to take a calling that others could perceive as small, insignificant, or unnecessary and magnify it using their unique talents and strengths.

What callings do you have right now?

Official ward callings are great but also think about your callings as a ministering brother or sister, parent, teacher, sibling, honorary grandma, spouse, or organizer.

The Lord taught:

“Thou shalt magnify thine office, and push many people to Zion with songs of everlasting joy upon their heads.” (D&C 66:11) 

Creation isn’t just for artists, writers, and musicians.

We all get to create when we figure out exactly how we will fill the roles we have, the callings we’ve been given, and the assignments we receive.

Just like things grow larger when they are magnified…

We can grow and create when we magnify our roles.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

I’ll start having a conversation with someone who I really want to know how she is doing…⁣

And then my kid runs out of sight and I have to run after them.

I’ll see a new family after church that I want to get to know better…

And every time I start walking their way, one of my kids desperately needs my urgent attention.

I catch up with another friend I haven’t seen in a while…⁣

And then I have to go help a kid who is feeling anxious.

I want to be friendly. I want to meet new people. To connect. To show love. ⁣

And yet I feel distracted and disconnected.

I recently prayed for a new perspective and some clarity, because I didn’t like how frustrated I was feeling.

Eventually, the Spirit brought two things to my mind:

First, I remembered the different uplifting interactions I had with people BECAUSE my kids are being kids.

New friendships being made. Other people serving ME. ⁣

And secondly, the Spirit brought to my mind this scripture:

“Out of small things proceedeth that which is great.” D&C 64:33⁣

I often feel like I’m missing out on some great things at church.

Because I am instead stuck doing a bunch of little, insignificant things. ⁣

Pulling out a Jesus book to distract, opening another pack of fruit snacks, pulling a hand away from a cord, picking up the kid trying to lick the A/C vent (again), picking up the goldfish, talking out of a meltdown, teaching about reverence in the chapel…

I do a lot of small things. ⁣

But I do them for three little kids that I love. Because right now, they need the fruit snacks. They need the carrying. They need the teaching. They need the constant attention.

And out of all of these small, little things…

Comes all the REALLY great stuff.

Seriously, these kids are going to be amazing grownups. I can tell already.

And because I will become greater as I step into my role as their mother.

Parenthood is doing a lot of the small stuff. The diaper changes, wiping up the spill, giving a hug, over and over.

Small stuff. All day, every day.

But it’s out of these small things.

The songs sung during the diaper change, the invitation to help mommy clean up the spill, the loving smile and little tickle when I give the hug.

Out of these small things proceedeth that which is great.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Small things first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It had been one of those really busy days.⁣

And I wished that I could just take a day off the next day to watch Netflix and rejuvenate, because boy, did I need it. ⁣

But of course, I couldn’t do that. ⁣

My packed to-do list for the following day was still there. ⁣

I felt exhausted and prayed for strength to get through the following day. ⁣

And here’s an example of when the Lord used my scripture reading to answer my prayers and needs in an immediate way. ⁣

As I was reading my scriptures that night, I happened to read D&C 64:33.⁣

Here, the Lord says: ⁣

“Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing”.⁣

That phrase, that I’ve heard a million times before, hit me like lightning. ⁣

Doing good things and being a good person is literally the whole point of this life. ⁣

NOT to get my work out of the way so that I can watch Netflix as much as possible. ⁣

Yes, I need to make sure I’m not running faster than I have strength and that I’m sleeping well. ⁣

But then… I WANT to let the good things that I’m doing energize me instead of drain me. ⁣

And it may sound overly-simplistic, but that’s what I chose in that moment. ⁣

I simply CHOSE to let the good things that I’m doing ENERGIZE me instead of drain me. ⁣

And… it worked. ⁣

I know, I know, it sounds too easy. But I think the mind is a powerful thing. ⁣

Deciding to not complain about all the good things that I’m doing opened the door for gratitude and energy to come in to my life in an even greater capacity.

And I even gained some clarity on a few things in my life that I thought were the awesome, but were not necessary. ⁣

Piece by piece, I’ve started finding that joy even more. ⁣

I’ve stopped glorifying my “busy-ness” and my fatigue. ⁣

I’ve got a lot of really great, really important things on my plate. ⁣

And I’m gonna keep on going and finding the joy. ⁣

Because God wants me here on earth to DO good and BE good, AND have joy.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What if you ARE weary?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.