“You’ll love it when you can have a conversation with him!”⁣

“Once she starts eating solids, things will be easier.”⁣

“It will be nice when they aren’t all in car seats anymore!”⁣

“Someday they’ll sleep in all day long and you’ll be the one waking them up!”⁣

Motherhood sure bombards you with a lot of comments that embody the idea of “just you wait.”

Waiting for things to get easier. ⁣

Other times it’s waiting for things to get harder. ⁣

But it’s about something in the future. ⁣

I’m waiting for things to get easier. ⁣

And I’m waiting for things to get more difficult. ⁣

“Just wait til they are a teenager…”⁣

I had a wise friend help me see how damaging all of that thinking can be.⁣

She told me that there’s a little bit hard and a little bit easy about every stage of life and that she plans to enjoy it all. ⁣

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose”. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)⁣

This is the time of my life where I can’t get anyone to sleep at night without lots of routines, cuddles, and attention.

And this is the time of my life where I get to cuddle all three of my kids will give me a big hug when they see me.

This is the time of my life where I can’t travel anywhere I want to in a whim.

And this is the time of my life where I get to write about the scriptures on my phone while my kids do homework.

This is the time of my life where I can’t serve or volunteer for everything that comes my way. ⁣

And this is the time of my life where I get to teach my kids how to pray and laugh at the things they decide to include. ⁣

“Life isn’t just to ‘live through.’ We are to experience each moment, enjoy it, and learn from it.” —Marty Halversen ⁣

Life is always a little bit easy and a little bit hard. ⁣

And I’m learning to embrace it all.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Embracing every phase of life  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“Her meals are always delicious! She’s so confident, I’m sure she doesn’t need anyone else to tell her that.”

“That was so wise. I’m sure he knows I appreciate all the great advice!“

These are just a few reasons I’ve withheld kind words before.

It’s usually a variation of:

“I’m sure they already know. Why would I need to tell them?”

But is anyone really out there thinking, “You know, I’m pretty amazing and I don’t need anyone to show appreciation or compliment me!”

I doubt it.

I bet you can think of kind words, a compliment, or a gesture of appreciation that really impacted you at some point.

“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.” (Proverbs 3:27)

We can each do a little better at never holding back when a kind thought crosses our mind.

Who could you thank or compliment today?

It might be the exact words the Lord knows they need to hear.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Withhold not first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“You’re welcome!” for getting all the songs stuck in your head now. ⁣

But I love toward the beginning of the movie when Moana sets out on her solo journey on the boat to find the great Maui. ⁣

She’s doing her best sailing her boat, but she’s also completely unqualified. ⁣

The ocean helps to guide her when she gets off track. ⁣

It gets Moana back in the boat when she falls off, it taps her on the back when falls asleep and starts heading in the wrong direction…⁣

The ocean called her on the journey and the ocean is making sure she can complete her journey to find Maui. ⁣

But at one point, a big storm comes. ⁣

Moana is wet, tired, and eventually gets pushed off her boat, knocking her unconscious and stranding her on a deserted island. ⁣

How could the ocean do this to her?!⁣

She’s frustrated. She’s exhausted. She’s confused. ⁣

She feels betrayed by the ocean. ⁣

Until she realizes… Maui is on that island. ⁣

The storm that she cursed actually pushed her super quickly to where she needed to go. ⁣

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)⁣

How many times have I been just like Moana?⁣

Frustrated that a job didn’t pan out just to find my dream job right around the corner?⁣

Angry that a relationship ended just to discover the best person shortly after?⁣

Annoyed that I didn’t get a certain calling only to feel totally at peace with a new direction?⁣

“Each of us can trust in the Lord and lean not. We can center our lives on the Savior by coming to know Him, and He will direct our paths.” —Bonnie H. Cordon⁣

We’ve got the master wayfinder looking out for us and directing our paths. ⁣

We can do our best to steer, even though our best isn’t usually very awesome.⁣

I fall asleep at the helm quite a bit. ⁣

But when we stay focused on Jesus Christ, our paths will lead us exactly where He knows we need to go. ⁣

Despite our best, mortal, often totally flawed, reasoning. ⁣

Trust. He’s leading the way.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Moana and trust first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I was doing great: reading the scriptures each day, praying, serving in callings, not really fighting with my siblings… ⁣

It was great to sit in an interview and feel really great about what I was doing. ⁣

And then, my bishop wisely asked me what I was working on to try and improve in my life right now. ⁣

I naively responded, “Nothing right now!” ⁣

Oh, to have that confidence that I had then.

Living “the gospel” was simple in my mind, and I was checking all the boxes I had in front of me. ⁣

This makes me think of the wise saying in Proverbs 1:22. ⁣

“How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?” ⁣(Proverbs 1:22)

Now I totally have compassion on younger Cali, and subsequent life lessons were given to me that very much highlighted the unending plethora of things in my life that needed to be improved. ⁣

The gospel really is simple. ⁣

But that doesn’t mean that the gospel is lived simply. ⁣

Loving God and loving others is a whole lot of work. ⁣

A lot of discomfort. ⁣

A lot of trial and error. ⁣

A lot of repentance and change, over and over. ⁣

I am ALL FOR simplification…⁣

In most areas. ⁣

How long will we long for a gospel that is more simple to actually accomplish?⁣

Or is it time to embrace the all-in, complicated, sometimes messy, but oh-so-fulfilling gospel of Jesus Christ?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Not too simple first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.