I can see the picture in my head, and I for sure look ridiculous.

I can imagine others looking at me with all my armor on.

“That looks so restrictive!”

“How do you have any fun with that stuff on?!”

“What are you preparing for? Nobody is coming. It’s not that big of a deal.”

And there sure is a lot going on in order to keep this armor on.

I’m trying to learn truths, share the gospel, keep the Spirit with me, be righteous, and increase my faith.

It’s a lot of work to put that armor on and actively decide to keep it on every single day.

It would be a lot easier to turn my focus to the other things that need to get done in my life. Feed the kids. Work. Have fun.

So why do I choose to put that armor on and keep it on?

Why do I choose to take extra time to increase my faith, work toward salvation, and create a breastplate of righteousness?

Because it’s all more than worth it when the fiery darts of the adversary start to come.

When the tough times all come zooming at me at the same exact time, the time for preparation is gone.

When the health challenges, the huge life decisions, the sorrows, the heartbreaking events, the overwhelming days start piling on…

I’m grateful for the heavy suit of armor I’ve built around myself.

Events that I’ve seen devastate others, feel a lot less painful.

Temptations that seem to pop out of nowhere don’t have the same effect as they used to.

It might all seem a little silly. A bit too much.

Scriptures? Prayer? Church meetings? Family gospel learning? Ministering? Temple service? Tithing?

It can seem so restrictive to an outsider looking in.

But when the fiery darts start to come, as they always always do, boy am I grateful for that excess of spiritual armor.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

This is the moment I learned that some of my colleagues and I had very different classroom management strategies.

There was one middle schooler in particular who was a challenge that year.

I am not kidding when I say that many of my classroom management strategies came straight from the Doctrine and Covenants, and I’m excited to continue to share those as we get to those verses!

Pulling someone aside and talking to them individually is one that has always stuck out to me.

Year after year in the classroom, I found myself being able to connect with even the most difficult kids.

(Not that everything was perfect, but I felt like there was mutual respect and a glimpse of understanding, even despite some of their continued poor choices.)

I came to learn that pulling kids aside and talking to them one-on-one was the best way to maintain that respect!

Calling kids out in front of their peers caused shame, or reinforced that they only got attention when they were exhibiting poor behavior.

I didn’t like either of those options… so I found that creating unique opportunities to talk to that child one-on-one on an even playing field gave me the best chance to actually get my point across to them.

I think about Hiram Page.

He believed that he was receiving revelation for the entire church. I don’t know how this all started, or if he knew at some point that this was not truly of God, but Joseph, as directed by the Lord, gave him the benefit of the doubt.

In D&C 28:11, the Lord directed Oliver to pull Hiram aside for an individual conversation about his behavior.

No shaming, no name-calling, and no unnecessary attention.

Just using discretion, solving the problem with respect, and lots of love.

I’ve seen the same principle carry over as I teach youth in church, and have kids of my own.

I truly believe that most people don’t want to be bad.

If we give them the benefit of the doubt, speak to them privately with an open heart and ready to hear their side of the story as well, that’s when hearts are most mended.

No ganging up, no mob mentality, no ounce of shame.

Just kind, loving, individual correction and connection.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Between him and thee alone first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I try to pay attention to little promptings, and I feel proud about every piece of writing that I post on my account.

I also have received countless messages where people have told me that something I wrote has been an answer to their prayers– some even in specific and dramatic ways.

I don’t say this to make myself sound awesome. In fact, I want to make a point about this–

I am not authorized to receive revelation for any of you.

I have not been set apart with priesthood power, nor have I entered into a priesthood covenant that gives me stewardship over any of you (unless my children or members of my Sunday School class are reading this). 

I AM grateful that Heavenly Father wants to answer your prayers and give many of you comfort, and that He sometimes uses the words that I write or speak in order to answer those prayers.

But I think it is super important to know who we have stewardship over– and who we don’t.

I LOVE that the Lord is so organized when it comes to how revelation happens in this church.

The Lord reminded Joseph and Oliver in Section 28:2 that “no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses.”

So the prophet is the only person who can receive revelation for the entire church!

When I’m deciding whether or not an activity is appropriate for the Sabbath day, I can look to the prophet and other general leaders for their counsel.

And if there isn’t anything specifically about my situation, I can use my best judgment and personal revelation to make my decision.

And then I don’t have to worry AT ALL about what my neighbor chooses to do or not do on the Sabbath… because I don’t have any stewardship over them!

But I can help and guide my children on what we do on Sundays, because I do have stewardship over them.

And then I can be inspired with how to teach my Sunday School class about the Sabbath day in a way that might be an answer to their prayers. I have been set apart with priesthood power to teach them.

I think it is so important to know who we have stewardship over, and to help guide and teach those people.

And it’s equally important to know who we don’t have stewardship over, so that we can love and lift them where they are.

God’s house is a house of order.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Knowing our stewardship first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

In D&C 27:16, the Lord teaches Joseph that the very first step of putting on the armor of God is:

“Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth”.

We need to know the Truth. The essential gospel Truths that have led us to where we are, and will keep us going through the eternities.

But I think that Satan wants us to sometimes forget that we need to also TELL the truth.

Because not telling the truth seems pretty darn tempting sometimes.

Not so much in the “I ate your candy and I’m not going to tell you” kind of way, although sometimes that is a temptation.

But more in the temptation to spin truths or withhold information in a way that keeps the peace.

Like staying quiet even when we feel uncomfortable about a situation.

Saying “great” when someone asks how we are doing.

Or needing so much more help and support, but not saying anything about it.

Being honest and telling the truth in ALL things that we do brings So. Much. Peace.

Asking for what we want.

Telling our spouse when we need more help.

Letting a friend know that we are not okay.

It seems scary.

It seems vulnerable.

But that’s what we really need in order to connect with each other.

To stop pretending like everything is okay, and to live messy, emotion-filled lives with each other, serving everyone we possibly can.

In the Gospel Topics entry on Honesty, we learn:

“When we are honest in every way, we are able to enjoy peace of mind and maintain self-respect.

“We build strength of character, which allows us to be of service to God and others.”

(And as a caveat, I personally don’t believe that “rudeness” under the guise of “honesty” is necessary at all. The truth can always be spoken with love and kindness.)

So how can we open ourselves up to being just a little more honest and truthful with the people around us?

Because bringing peace of mind and peace of the heart is the first step to arming ourselves in the battle against falsehoods from the adversary.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

But I was still nervous.

It was my first time going into a real elementary school classroom as an assistant while I was earning my teaching degree.

Everyone kept saying that we should just jump in and help but… I still didn’t know what to do.

I spent way too long standing at the back of classrooms afraid that I would mess something up.

Years later, as I stood in front of 35 sixth graders and an assistant walked in to help me, it did not even cross my mind that my helper would “mess everything up”.

The Lord told Joseph, as Joseph was concerned about procuring the proper materials for the sacrament:

“It mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament,

“if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory—remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins.” D&C 27:2

In other words, stop worrying about all those details.

Stop worrying about not understanding every aspect of that new calling you just received.

Stop worrying about that new position at work.

Stop worrying about getting all of the parenting techniques right.

And just get your heart in the right place.

That’s what the Lord wants when we take the sacrament, more than anything else.

Are we focused on Him?

Then the details will work themselves out.

Are we focused on serving our neighbors?

Are we focused on our technical strengths and learning quickly?

Are we focused on making sure our kids feel tons of love from us?

Then the details of that calling, that job promotion, and that tough parenting situation will work themselves out.

That doesn’t mean, of course, that we throw the details out of the window. We don’t use candy and soda for the sacrament every week for a good reason.

But when we let go of trying to get every single detail right, and instead focus on turning our hearts and desires to what matters the most…

That’s when our hearts start to change.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Letting go of the details first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.