I want my baby to stop crying and go back to sleep.

I want someone else to clean up when I’m exhausted but people are coming over soon.

I want someone to tell me how to solve my problem.

But what Christ really does, is that He almost always enables me to get things done.

I am given extra strength. Extra willpower. Extra grit. Extra patience. Extra faith.

When I lean on Christ, He doesn’t take over and do my work for me.

Instead, when I lean on Him, I do even more work than I could do on my own.

Sometimes, I literally feel that extra strength boosting me forward when I didn’t think I had anything in me.

My baby still cries, but I feel more calm about it and am given perspective that this is just a phase.

I feel the energy to clean even when I’m exhausted, but I also start to realize that friends don’t need to see a spotless home when they come over.

I feel a little prompting for how I might solve my problem, and as I act, the solution is slowly lit up before me.

He wants me to solve my problems because He wants me to grow.

But He’s not going to expect me to grow without giving me the power to grow with Him.

By myself, I am weak. I am flawed and mortal.

And with Him, I get a glimpse at who I can become.

Someone who is still surrounded by the trials and distractions and annoyances and frustrations.

But someone who is, through Christ, able to get the things done that matter most, and to let the other things slide out of my zone of worry.

Christ is an enabler, in the best way possible.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Enabling my peace first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It’s something I preach in almost every post on this account, video I record, and resource that I create.

And I totally stand behind what I say.

Our lives are busy, and I think it’s so important to figure out how to make everything fit.

But also…

This gospel is everything.

It can’t be entirely summed up into little tips and tricks.

It is big.

And heavy.

And important. So, so important.

The Lord taught the Saints in D&C Section 43 the message that they were to solemnly deliver to the whole world. And then in verses 34-35:

“Treasure these things up in your hearts, and let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds.

“Be sober. Keep all my commandments.”

We are asked to ponder about the eternities.

To treasure up these eternal truths in our hearts.

To be sober and serious in keeping all of the commandments.

This is real. This is serious.

This “Plan of Salvation” that we draw cute pictures and diagrams of is actually intense and powerful and everything.

And yet… it’s so difficult to find time to just ponder on that.

To sit still and let my mind wander on things of the eternities.

But it is so essential.

It centers me.

I’m reminded WHY I’m doing all this.

Why I’m coming up with the little tips and tricks, the cute sayings, the quick references, the applicable stories.

It’s all so real.

So… maybe let your mind go there right now.

Use this time reading my post as your moment to reflect.

What is this all about? Why are you doing the things that you are doing?

What does God have in store for you?

What will meeting your Savior be like?

How do you want to live your life? Where do you plan on being after you pass on? Who do you hope is there with you?

What will your future, your ETERNAL future, be?

Ponder. Treasure. Let these rest upon your mind.

Perspective. Purpose.

And then move forward with faith.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The solemnities of eternity first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Ever heard or seen a variation of that comment anywhere before?

Orrrrr maybe even thought something like that before?

In 2015, Elder Christofferson gave one of those General Conference talks that has just stuck in my mind, titled: “Why the Church”.

Elder Christofferson spends his entire talk outlining why we actually are organized into and asked to attend a church.

Spirituality is, of course, a personal journey.

But there are unique purposes for an organized church.

He said, among many things:

“In the Church we not only learn divine doctrine; we also experience its application.”

This is what I’ve learned to love about church the most, especially recently.

We teach each other with new perspectives in church, and we practice applying what “loving your neighbor” and service really look like.

In Doctrine and Covenants 43:8, the Lord counsels members of the church:

“That when ye are assembled together ye shall instruct and edify each other, that ye may know how to act and direct my church, how to act upon the points of my law and commandments, which I have given.”

There is a reason we are going back towards full activities resuming in the church.

We need to interact with and edify people who are lacking.

Someone at church needs to see you, being exactly who you are.

They need to hear that comment you’ll make, or just see you showing up after they know you had a tough week.

So why the church?

There are many beautiful answers to this question (seriously, just go listen to Elder Christofferson’s talk, because obviously the Sacrament is THE main reason).

But today, I’m loving the answer that we need each other.

Not the perfect versions of ourselves that we think we need to become first.

But we need each other, exactly as we are.

Messy, unsure, overwhelmed, trying our best, super tired, feeling inadequate…

We can show up exactly as we are, and still instruct and edify others. And we need to be instructed and edified by other people, no matter who they are.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Instruct and edify first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Right before the meeting, the Spirit quietly confirmed to me what it was going to be about and I broke down in tears.

This was too much.

I called out to my Heavenly Father, “If we are going to do this, I’m going to need a lot more of Your support.”

And His response was the exact mixture of love and correction that I needed in that desperate moment.

“Cali, I am always right here. And you know exactly how to invite me into your life even more.”

I didn’t need Heavenly Father to be here more for me.

Because He has always been by my side.

But I knew I needed to start calling for His help even more.

It was a powerful lesson that He taught me right before my husband got called as Bishop of our ward.

If I need His presence more, then I need to put in some work.

The Saints in Ohio were also wanting more of God’s presence. They were ready to receive “The Law”.

They knew that further light and knowledge awaited them after making the faith-filled move to Ohio, and they were ready to receive it.

The Saints desired it.

So the Lord could have just given Joseph the revelation for the Law.

But instead, in D&C Section 41, the Lord asked them to gather themselves together and pray in great faith for the law to be given to them.

They had to put in the work first.

In the Bible Dictionary entry for “Prayer”, we learn that:

“Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them.

“Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.”

God wants us to put in the work.

He wants us to ask, to plead, to prepare ourselves, and to set aside special time to receive answers.

We can never do enough. We can never earn our blessings perfectly.

But… we can show Him that we are willing to take upon the very small burden of work that is required.

If you’ve been waiting for an answer or some clarity, this can be a great question to ponder on:

Am I putting in the work necessary to obtain the blessing I am asking for?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Prayer is hard work first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I played the piano a lot.

The way I figured out how to manage a classroom full of 12 year olds?

I walked into a room of 12 year olds and figured it out.

The way I learned to love the scriptures?

I read my scriptures every day with a desire to know and love them.

Becoming a new person, acquiring a new skill, takes action.

Not just thinking or learning about a topic (although I can’t overstate how essential that is, too!)— it has to be paired with action.

And before you think I’m just completely perfect and awesome at learning by doing (note the heavy sarcasm there)…

I think about serving people a whole lot more than I actually serve.

I think about productive habits much more than I’m actually productive.

I think about working out regularly much more than I do.

The Lord taught the Saints, both new converts and long time less-than-a-year original members, that:

“He that receiveth my law and doeth it, the same is my disciple”. D&C 41:5

They needed to prepare to receive the law.

But they also needed to be ready to just do it.

Can you imagine if all these new converts waited until they felt completely ready before going out to serve missions?

Certainly, they needed to learn gospel truths.

But they also needed to just go to work.

Which is why I almost laugh every time I re-listen to President Nelson’s counsel from earlier this month.

“Act in faith. What would you do if you had more faith? Think about it. Write about it.

“Then receive more faith by doing something that requires more faith.”

How do we get more faith?

By doing things that require a lot of faith.

I remember someone telling me that if every parent waited until they felt “ready” to have kids, there would be no children.

You’re probably never going to feel fully qualified for anything in life.

And that’s the fun of it, sometimes.

We get to learn. We get to figure things out and grow and improve as we TRY.

Learning gospel truths is so helpful and important.

But when we pair that learning with just getting out there and doing good stuff, I think we can be unstoppable.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Just do it first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

The story of James Covel in Sections 39-40 is just fascinating to me.

Because we see EXACTLY what James missed out on due to his pride.

I mean, Section 39 is packed with blessings.

Promises.

Miracles.

James was promised all of these, as long as he would trust the Lord.

And then… pride got him.

He cared a bit too much about what others would think.

He cared about losing his great reputation he had spent years building back east.

The adversary appealed to his personal sense of importance, rather than the whisperings of the Spirit who encouraged him to give it all to the Lord.

This little case study in pride is so powerful to me!

James was promised so much, and chose his own comfort.

So… when am I doing the same?

I don’t have the blessings that I’m missing out on written down right in front of me, so it’s a little harder to see.

But I think it’s when I think that I’m “too busy” to fill my spiritual cup.

Or when I’m doing something good, but I have a totally bad attitude about it.

Or when I think that I’ve gotta worry about myself before I can reach out to those I minister to.

Pride gets me to miss out on a lot of blessings in my life that I’m probably not even aware of.

But, before I spiral into mourning everything I’ve missed and beating myself up about it…

(Feeling some guilt to move me to change is good— sitting in shame is not!)

How can I move forward?

How can I choose to claim every single blessing God has in store for me?

Or at least, as many blessings as I can, since I know I’ll let my pride get the best of me again and again.

I can choose to rely on the Lord.

I can choose total humility.

I can choose to not start my day without kneeling in prayer and asking for guidance.

I can choose to trust that when I rely on Him, I’ll start looking outward even more and worry less about what I’m doing.

Relying on the Lord, turning to Him in every moment, bringing every problem to Him…

That is how I beware of pride.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post WHY should I beware of pride? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Well, maybe not super easy.

But at least, I could do it.

But some of my highest highs and my lowest lows in life have come from interacting with other people.

I’ve laughed til my belly aches and cried in moments of vulnerability with good friends.

And I’ve endured awkward moments and painful misunderstandings with God friends, too.

I’ve experienced more love than I ever thought possible with my family members.

And I’ve had to practice patience and forgiveness more than I ever thought possible with my family members.

I’ve been uplifted and edified by things that my fellow ward members have said.

And I’ve been shocked and frustrated by things that my fellow ward members have said.

I’ve had sweet, kind interactions with strangers at parks, stores, or schools.

And I’ve had terribly rude interactions with strangers at parks, stores, and schools.

Getting outside of ourselves is where life gets extra messy, but also extra beautiful.

And I think that’s why the Lord reminds the Saints as they prepared to move to Ohio that they HAD to look out for each other.

They couldn’t just each take the journey on their own with their own resources.

Well, maybe a few of them could have made it in their own that way, but they would have left a lot of people in the dust in New York.

And so the Lord cautioned in D&C 38:27, “If ye are not one ye are not mine”.

We NEED each other.

The second great commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves.

And so if the adversary can get us to just think about ourselves all the time, he’s won half the battle.

We have to be one.

We have to experience the messes that come from meeting new people, awkward moments, and misunderstandings so that we can also practice living the gospel in action.

Unity and oneness can’t begin if we don’t even know each other.

And if we are not one, then we are not His.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The highs and lows of unity first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It’s a kids’ board book about Jesus visiting the Nephites, and it has a giant picture of Jesus on the front cover.

She calls it her “scriptures” or her “Jesus book”.

She was SO excited to find it.

And then we all piled into the car to get some groceries from the store.

As I pulled her out of her carseat, she grabbed her book, which she had, of course, brought in the car.

We started walking toward the main doors for the store, and a man was out there greeting and handing out carts.

Quin raised the book up high and said to the man:

“Look! I found my Jesus book!”

The man gave an awkward smile.

I quickly walked her inside the store and felt pretty embarrassed.

And then… I felt really sad about how embarrassed I was.

Why did I care what that man thought of my daughter and me?

I want her to learn to be comfortable talking about Jesus in front of other people and sharing her little testimony.

And yet, in the rush of the moment, I lost sight of that and only focused on caring about what someone else thought.

When the Lord talks about James Covel in D&C 40:2, the Lord teaches us that one reason James decided not to join the church was due to “fear… of the cares of the world”.

Are we afraid of being “that person” who talks about Jesus all the time?

Of course, I personally want to share my testimony of Jesus with tact and respect. Intentionally making others feel awkward is never something I aspire to do.

But I also want to never be held down by the “cares of the world” when it comes to sharing my testimony.

If you know me, Cali Black, you know that I talk about Jesus, and that’s just how it is.

I think there’s a reason we’ve been asked to leave the cares of the world behind, and to only focus on our Savior.

I think it’s because at the end of the day, when we pass on from this life, the cares of the world will no longer hold any meaning.

But our relationship with our Savior will have all the meaning in the world.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The cares of the world first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

We were at a restaurant, and this new colleague said to me, “Hey I’m gonna head inside and grab a beer. Do you want me to grab you one?”

I told him thanks for the offer, but that I didn’t drink.

He responded, “Oh! Do you not drink because your church tells you not to drink, or is it a personal choice?”

What a question, right?

I only had a split-second to gather my thoughts.

But I was able to respond to him:

“Well, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, if that’s what you’re getting at, so yes, my religion encourages us not to drink alcohol. But it is also a personal decision that I’ve made to follow that advice and not drink alcohol.”

He very graciously said, “Of course, of course, I get it!”

(And for the record, we worked together very well afterwards, so he obviously didn’t think I was too crazy for my response!)

I knew that he really wanted to just know whether or not I was “Mormon” or not. I get it.

But… I really wanted to let him know that I didn’t just not drink alcohol because my church told me not to.

I had also made a personal decision to follow the counsel, and have felt that decision confirmed to me many times.

In Doctrine and Covenants Section 37, the Lord gives the big, life-altering commandment to ask the Saints to move from New York to Ohio!

But the Lord ends this commandment with this interesting note in verse 4:

“Behold, here is wisdom, and let every man choose for himself.”

The Lord gives commandments.

The church gives guidelines.

Our prophet gives challenges.

Our Bishop gives us callings.

And yet, we always get to choose for ourselves.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Choose for yourself! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I’ve been there.

It’s rough.

But I’ve also come to believe that the trials we experience become our own specific superpowers to help us look out for those going through similar struggles.

They are little lessons for us.

You wished someone would have showed up on your doorstep with a treat and a hug?

Then we can be that person to someone else.

You wish your ministering sister would have at least checked in on you from time to time?

Then we can check in on her often.

Life is so unbelievably unfair and difficult.

We can think about that all the time and wallow in self-pity for all the help we didn’t receive.

Or we can use that as fuel to become “that person” for someone else.

As the Saints in New York were asked to start making the journey to Ohio, they were advised by the Lord to especially look out for the poor and the needy.

This trip was going to take a lot of money and sacrifice, and the Lord didn’t want any of His children left behind due to financial hardship.

And so His counsel?

“Let every man esteem his brother as himself”. (D&C 38:24)

If YOU needed a place for your family to stay after selling your farm and before leaving for Ohio, what kind of help would you want?

Then BE that kind of help for someone else.

Life is hard enough without spending time and energy on thinking about how unfair we have it. How forgotten we feel. How rough our hand of cards is.

And so I’d rather treat others the way that I wish that I had been treated.

To allow my trial to be my specific training for how to serve those around me even better.

We can be the change that we wish to see.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Be what you needed first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.