It’s been so hard for him to hear recently, his doctor confirmed he had hearing loss due to fluid in the ears, and so we knew this was the best step.

All my recent interactions with him have included me talking very loudly and slowly, and him yelling, “What?” about a million times a day.

When we came home after his surgery, one of the first things he said to me was:

“Mom, everything is so loud!”

I told him it was because his ears were now working the way they were supposed to.

He insisted, “No, like I’m hearing things I’ve never ever heard before. It’s all so loud and there is so much sound.”

He has had no idea what he had been missing out on.

It’s a whole new world for him with ears that have now been opened to hear.

I thought about how often I’ve lived my life with my spiritual eyes closed.

Completely unaware of the divine hand, the blessings, the literal miracles that have surrounded me because I just am not willing or quite able to perceive yet.

The prophet Balaam thought his donkey was being stubborn and disobedient.

Until…

“Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way”. (Numbers 22:31)

The trouble with our spiritual eyes and ears being closed is that we often don’t even realize it.

We think, “This is just how life is! Normal. I’m on my own. Solving my own problems. Dealing with normal things.”

Until something happens to wake us up and we choose to look and see.

And then a whole new world opens up to us.

Walking with Jesus. Guided by His Spirit. A life filled with constant miracles of all sizes. Communication and divine love everywhere.

Once we see it, we don’t want to go back!

How has the Lord helped you open your spiritual eyes to see His hand all around you?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Ears and eyes and donkeys first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I had been asked to play a musical number for the Saturday evening session of our stake conference.⁣

And I was SO NERVOUS.⁣

I knew this hymn arrangement super well and it was completely memorized. ⁣

But I kept messing up!⁣

Each time I played a wrong note, I would pull the music out and practice that part over and over. ⁣

And then I would completely butcher another part that I had always played perfectly. ⁣

I focused on each individual note so hard. ⁣

Day after day. ⁣

The stake conference was approaching and I was honestly embarrassed. I thought I had this piece memorized flawlessly, and yet here I was thinking about every single note and messing up in random spots. ⁣

As I sat down discouraged to practice one last time, a thought came to my mind: ⁣

“Invite the Spirit and play your testimony.”⁣

I put the music away, closed my eyes, and started playing. ⁣

But this time, I tried not to think about any notes. ⁣

I just thought about the message and the Spirit that I hoped to share as I played. ⁣

And I played it perfectly. ⁣

I realized later that I played it perfectly BECAUSE I had stopped worrying about all the details.

I had stopped harping on every single mistake that I made and making it a super big deal. ⁣

I just got to the core of why I love to play the piano— because it helps me bear my testimony of God and light and hope. ⁣

Isn’t this true in regular life, too?⁣

When I try to follow all the rules perfectly and feel overwhelmed with guilt every time that I mess up, then I notice mistakes even more.

Things get even worse. Even messier. I can’t fix it all. ⁣

I need a good dose of that simple but powerful lesson Moses tried to teach the Israelites with a brass serpent: ⁣

“Every one that… looketh upon it, shall live.” (Numbers 21:8)⁣

It’s too simple. ⁣

We just have to love Jesus and God and invite the Spirit to be with us. ⁣

That’s all. ⁣

And when we do those things with our whole souls, all the rest of the little details fall into place.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

“I’m reading my scriptures each day, so why am I still struggling to be patient with my kids?”⁣

“I followed that very specific prompting, so why did that friend start pulling away from me?”⁣

I’ve thought these questions, and many more like them, at various points in my life.⁣

Basically, they are all a form of:⁣

If I’m being loyal to God, why aren’t the circumstances of my life awesome?⁣

The Israelites were really good at looking at their outside circumstances. ⁣

And when they looked at what they had physically been through… boy, was there a lot to complain about. ⁣

“Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!… were it not better for us to return into Egypt?” (Numbers 14:2-3) ⁣

They had endured so much since leaving Egypt, so wouldn’t it have been better to just endure the hard things they had to face in Egypt?!⁣

Why did life seem to be getting harder and more difficult, even though they were following the Lord and the prophet? ⁣

Oh children of Israel, I can relate to that question. ⁣

And this is why I love studying the scriptures. ⁣

Because from far away, I can see the answer that the Lord wanted to teach the Israelites. ⁣

It seems crystal clear and obvious. ⁣

And then I go… “Oh yeah. Duh. He’s doing the same thing in my life, too.”⁣

God doesn’t want us to measure the success of our life by our circumstances. ⁣

He never has, in Old Testament times, New Testament times, Book of Mormon times, and modern times. ⁣

So why would I think my life would be the exception?⁣

Boom. I love studying the scriptures for this exact reason. I see the PATTERNS the Lord has worked with for centuries. ⁣

Why does the Lord care if we keep His commandments with sincere intent?⁣

Because He cares about the journeys that our hearts take. ⁣

Are we becoming more devoted? More dependent? More likely to align our will to His?⁣

That’s what a successful disciple’s life has looked like, dispensation after dispensation. ⁣

He wants to see where our hearts go and what they become.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Better to stay in Egypt!  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Sure, they complained about it. ⁣

But they still ate the miraculous manna from heaven. Every day. ⁣

“Manna” is usually compared to the “daily” gospel stuff we are asked to do. ⁣

Prayer. Scripture study. Pondering. Service. ⁣

If we use this analogy, then technically, the Israelites WERE doing all those things each day. ⁣

They LOOKED like they were obedient!

But what was their attitude about it?⁣

“There is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.” (Numbers 11:6)⁣

They had completely lost their GRATITUDE for the daily miracles.⁣

They interacted with God so consistently that they forgot to feel grateful for the interactions.

So are we forgetting how miraculous it is to have scriptures?⁣

What a miracle it is that we even have access to these ancient texts?⁣

What a miracle it is that we can be taught and guided by their words?⁣

What a miracle it is that we are able to approach the God of all the universe in individual prayer?⁣

Here’s what I’ve found:⁣

When I remember what a miracle each of these daily touch points are, I can’t help but feel overwhelming gratitude. ⁣

And when I feel that gratitude, I am more likely to actually study my scriptures or say my prayers. ⁣

Gratitude is a beautiful motivation to interact with the divine each day. ⁣

I am grateful for all the ways I get to connect with heaven each day.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Grumbling about manna  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

We are asked to take time to be holy.

The Lord commands us to be holy.

But what does this look like?

One of my favorite phrases that has entered the gospel vernacular recently is: “higher and holier”.

Instead of going to church to learn a lesson about the scriptures, our eyes are lifted to see a goal of higher and holier personal gospel study and responsibility.

Instead of visiting someone once a month and calling it good, our eyes are lifted to see how ministering in real, normal, meaningful ways is much more effective.

Instead of keeping the commandments because we are in trouble if we don’t, our eyes are lifted to see the higher and holier purpose of obeying out of love and alignment of wills.

We look for higher and holier ways to worship.

And I think what has surprised me the most is how meaningful it is to find holiness in everyday moments.

To drive down my street and allow my heart to be filled with awe for the people and nature that surround me.

To make lunch (again) for little kids and look into their eyes and think about their eternal potential.

To lie down in my bed, filled with gratitude.

“Holiness… invites us to infuse daily living with the sacred—to rejoice in daily bread amidst this world’s thistles and thorns.” – Gerrit W. Gong

Holiness and lasting happiness are tied together.

The Lord invites us to sanctify our lives and find peace because He is holy.

“Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.” – Leviticus 19:2

I think it’s really about becoming more Christlike.

Finding more Christlike ways to serve, learn, love, and live.

How can you add more holiness, happiness, and Jesus to your life this week?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post How to be holy  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Instead, the usher actually drew a comparison to the tabernacle of ancient Israel. ⁣

The Israelites set the pattern of using the best materials that they could, spending countless hours preparing every detail, as a symbol of their sacrifice and dedication to the Lord! ⁣

If the tabernacle was going to be used to worship the Lord, then they wanted to put forth their best effort in every single detail. ⁣

“And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about.” (Exodus 37:2) ⁣

This lesson from my temple open house usher really stuck with me. ⁣

Am I giving my absolute best to the Lord as a symbol of how I feel about Him? ⁣

Or is He getting my leftovers from whatever else I have going on that day? ⁣

Don’t get me wrong, life is busy and crazy and insane. ⁣

With everything I have going on as a mortal human being, it’s not really possible to spend all day every day giving Him my best. ⁣

And I hope those questions don’t weigh you down with shame. ⁣

Instead, I hope they inspire you to do a little better in some small way. ⁣

Can I give more of my best self to the Lord?⁣

Can I make sure He isn’t ever the one getting pushed off my to-do list due to over scheduling?⁣

Can I give Him time when I know my mind is in the best shape it can be?⁣

Do I make sacrifices to give Him time?⁣

My little inspiration, my little nudge from the Spirit in response to these questions probably looks different than yours. ⁣

“My best” changes every day. ⁣

But just like ancient Israel, I think I can do a little better at choosing to give my best to the Lord as a symbol of what He means to me.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Only the best  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Moses described Bezaleel by saying:

“And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass.” (Exodus 35:31-32)

Those sound like pretty cool gifts, right?!

Bezaleel was talented and had probably worked hard to hone in on his crafts over the years.

But the Lord had something extraordinary in mind.

Bezaleel’s specific talents and abilities were needed to help build and beautify the tabernacle.

And Bezaleel willingly used his gifts, all given from God in the first place, to serve the Lord in building His holy house. 

What are some of the talents and gifts you’ve been given from God?

What are skills you’ve worked hard to develop?

How have you been able to use those abilities to help give back and show thanks to the Lord?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What is your talent?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I love teaching, I knew I connected well with my students, and I felt really fulfilled from my job. ⁣

So when I prepared to return to work after taking maternity leave with my first child, and I received a strong prompting to resign from my job at the end of the school year, I was shocked. ⁣

That wasn’t my plan. ⁣

That wasn’t what I wanted. ⁣

But I also could not deny that prompting— resign from teaching at the end of the year. ⁣

I realized that when I told people about my resignation at first, I would “blame” it all on God. ⁣

“I wanted to keep working, but I got a super strong prompting to quit so I guess that’s what I’m doing!”⁣

I had my own will.⁣

I had learned God’s will. ⁣

And I guess I was going to let His will win. ⁣

Then one day, it clicked. ⁣

God didn’t want me to grudgingly follow this prompting, blaming Him for giving up what I really wanted. ⁣

He wanted me to do it willingly. ⁣

And so I started to pray.⁣

I prayed for the desire to WANT to quit my job. ⁣

(Kind of weird, I know.)⁣

But that desire came. Pretty quickly, too. ⁣

And suddenly I felt so much more at peace about my decision. ⁣

I wasn’t “giving in” to what God wanted for my life. ⁣

My will and God’s will had become one. ⁣

We wanted the same thing, even though I wasn’t sure about the WHY yet. ⁣

“Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it”. (Exodus 35:5)⁣

God doesn’t want us to come dragging our feet and blaming everything on Him. On His promptings, on His commandments. ⁣

He wants us to come and sacrifice willingly. ⁣

And I’ve learned that if I truly come to the altar of prayer with a desire to have our wills become the same, He will always help my heart get to the right place. ⁣

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Praying to want to quit  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.