I was reminded that if there’s anything that raising a human for the first six weeks of their life can teach you, it’s a nice, firm reminder that there are so many things outside of your control. ⁣

The word “schedule” is pretty meaningless. ⁣

Infants cry when they want. Sleep when they want. Have messy blowouts when they want. ⁣

It’s a time when you literally have so little control over a lot of details in your life as an adult.

My kids are older than my sister’s little infant, so we are dealing with a different type of chaos as we deal with “end of the school year” busyness.

No matter what phase of life I’m in though, I’ve always taken comfort in what I can control. ⁣

I can choose Jesus. ⁣

“Choose you this day whom ye will serve”. (Joshua 24:15)⁣

I can choose to still pray. ⁣

I can choose to still scroll through some scriptures as I’m falling asleep. ⁣

I can choose to react with love and all the patience I can muster. ⁣

And I can also choose to recognize that the good things I’m doing as a woman, wife, and mother are all huge ways of serving the Lord, too. ⁣

I’m choosing to make personal sacrifices to love those around me even better.

Basically, I’m choosing to serve God each day by embracing the chaos. ⁣

It’s what I can give.

“Choosing the Lord” looks different to everyone in different stages of life. ⁣

But the choice will always be there— in fact, our Savior suffered to endure that the choice would always be there. ⁣

How have you chosen Jesus today?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Choose you this day first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I told her the whole story.

She had been almost three years old.

I was there.

She cried a little but was then okay.

“Oh wait, we even got a commemorative certificate!”

I went upstairs to my closet and found the card along with a little lock of her hair.

I was SHOCKED to realize I had gotten most of the information wrong!

I looked at the date— it was 3 days after my son was born, and suddenly I remembered telling my husband and my mom to take Quin to get a haircut while I was freshly postpartum with my second.

I had melded different memories together from all 3 of my kids, plus I think I embellished a bit? I don’t even know.

Our memories are generally pretty bad.

I mean, my daughter is 8, and this was a pretty big milestone of getting her first haircut, and I had gotten out totally wrong.

Until…

I brought out that physical memento.

That physical certificate reminded me of what ACTUALLY happened.

I think of the Israelites who had to cross the River Jordan, completely on dry ground.

What a miracle!

How could they EVER forget that?!

And yet the Lord told them to take some stones from the river bed:

“These stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.” (Joshua 4:7)

The stones and memorial helped them to remember.

A tangible object for a very real but very fleeting spiritual experience.

The Lord knows we are prone to wander. Prone to forget miracles. Prone to downplay covenants. Prone to misremember spiritual promptings.

How have physical objects helped you to remember spiritual experiences?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Forgetting my daughter’s haircut first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

But other times, God gives us the answer right away! ⁣

Joshua, the new leader of the Israelites, approached the city of Jericho. ⁣

This was the climax of 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, and now what?! ⁣

Well, the Lord tells Joshua: ⁣

“See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.” (Joshua 6:2) ⁣

The Lord then proceeded to tell Joshua exactly what to do– march around the city once a day for six days, and on the seventh day, march seven times more. The priests will then blow ram’s horns, the people will shout, and the walls of Jericho will come tumbling down. ⁣

The prophet Joshua told his people the plan, they followed the directions, and the city was theirs. ⁣

Easy peasy, right? ⁣

Asked and answered. ⁣

Sometimes, the Lord is ready to give us the exact answer that we need.⁣

But the tricky part then becomes having enough faith to actually follow through on the plans. ⁣

Have you had an experience like this before? ⁣

Receiving direct answers to prayers is the best. ⁣

But then we have to trust and act. ⁣

Because receiving the answer is only the first half of the equation. ⁣

Whether that means to quit the job, have that conversation, or march around a city blowing horns and shouting, it takes a lot of faith to follow through on our answered prayers.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The faith to march around Jericho  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It’s one of my favorite songs that I learned as a child. ⁣

My language? ⁣

My actions?⁣

What would I do if the Savior was right next to me?⁣

It helped guide me to more Christlike decisions as a little kid. ⁣

But now, years later, with three kids of my own, it brings a different meaning to me. ⁣

Fear. Weakness. Dismay. ⁣

I’ve felt it all. ⁣

“Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:9)⁣

My understanding of the Savior has grown a lot since I was a kid. ⁣

He’s not just there, watching me, hoping I say and do nice things. ⁣

He is with me in my weakness. In my dismay. In my fears. ⁣

He’s with me when I feel exhausted after putting out my kids’ little fires all day. ⁣

He’s with me when I think that I’ve messed everything up. ⁣

He’s with me when I hear more bad news. ⁣

He’s with me when I remember everything that’s on my to-do list. ⁣

“He is always near me, though I do not see him there; ⁣

“And because he loves me dearly, I am in his watchful care.”⁣

He’s there cheering me on. Guiding me. Comforting me. Loving me. ⁣

His Spirit can always be with me, whenever I have the desire. ⁣

And because He is with me wherever I go, I have no need to feel fear and dismay. ⁣

I can be strong and have courage to conquer whatever comes my way.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Be strong and of a good courage!  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.