Martha welcomed Jesus into her home and was “cumbered about much serving”.

She was doing fantastic acts of service. ⁣

And then there was her sister, Mary.

Mary was just sitting there at the Lord’s feet, listening to Him. ⁣

So Martha got a little frustrated that she was the only one doing any work.

She requested the Savior to dismiss her sister so that she could help with all the things that needed to get done.

“And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful.”⁣ (Luke 10:41-42)

Are we “careful and troubled” about the wrong things?⁣

There are so so SO many little things to worry about.

And as a problem-solver, I like to focus on the problems.

Think about the problem, talk about the problem, and try to solve it.

And honestly it’s not bad.

I like being the problem-solver.

But do you know what naturally takes up a lot of my brain when I focus on problems?

The problems, of course.

You know what I’ve tried to do more lately?

NOT trying to solve problems.

Turning off the parenting podcasts and unfollowing that news analysis account. Stopping talking about everything that’s going wrong.

And instead, focusing on Jesus and my blessings.

THAT’S what I want taking up most of my brain space.

THAT’S what I want my mind to ponder about in quiet moments.

Jesus. His goodness. His teachings. And what that means for me.

And trying to do this more has actually been the best problem-solving I’ve ever done.

Because suddenly all those little problems don’t really matter anymore.

And the big ones that are left don’t seem quite so daunting.

I’ve got Jesus to help me. So I’m going to try to stay by His side and trust with all my heart that He is the real answer to every problem.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post So focused on Jesus first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

COMPASSION.

Have you noticed it in the parable of the Good Samaritan?

First, a priest and a Levite pass this “half-dead” man on the side of the road.

Probably pretty good people.

Probably with legitimate excuses to be somewhere.

Probably knew this guy didn’t really have a chance, or maybe even deserved the trouble he was in. ⁣

But then…

“A certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him”. (Luke 10:33)

The Samaritan passes the man and is filled with COMPASSION.

How are we doing with feeling compassion towards other people?

When we see a homeless individual on the side of the road, do we make fun of them and make some snide remark?

Or are we filled with COMPASSION?

When someone tells us they are going to do something and then they don’t, do we think negative thoughts about them or even “tell the story” to someone else?

Or are we filled with COMPASSION?

When a family member disappoints you, do you take it personally and add drama to it?

Or are you filled with COMPASSION?

But this Good Samaritan didn’t even stop at compassion!

After he was filled with COMPASSION, he acted.

He got right to work to solve the problem. ⁣

I love that. ⁣

When other people aren’t acting the way we think they should, let’s be filled with COMPASSION and then GET TO WORK. ⁣

When bad things happen to people we know, let’s be filled with COMPASSION and then GET TO WORK. ⁣

When we see people in need, let’s be filled with COMPASSION and then GET TO WORK.

COMPASSION and then GET TO WORK.

It’s a beautiful duo.

A divine duo.

The perfect combination to make this famous Samaritan “good”.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Compassion in the Good Samaritan first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I recently got her a new purple leotard that she was so excited to wear to her next dance class.

It came in the mail, and she tried it on right away.

But when it was time to leave for dance class, we suddenly couldn’t find this leotard!

We tore apart the house looking.

Quin was devastated when we had to leave for class without it.

Guess what we did as soon as we got home?

We looked for it again!

We still couldn’t find it.

Each morning for the next few days, she would ask about the leotard, and we would keep looking everywhere.

No leotard.

Six days later, we discovered the purple leotard scrunched up inside a swimsuit at the bottom of a laundry basket.

Of course.

But she was so happy that we had found it, and the search was over!

That purple leotard was important to my daughter, and she was not going to stop looking for it.

I think of other times when we’ve lost a little plastic toy.

The amount of effort spent searching for that lost toy has been minimal.

And when I’ve lost car keys, I’ve put all my efforts into finding them immediately!

How much we look for something when it is lost seems to indicate how important it is to us.

It is not our Father’s will that ANYONE should perish or be lost.

⁣”For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” (Matthew 18:11)

He’s not shrugging His shoulders saying we shouldn’t have wandered off.

He’s not casually remembering to look for us every once in a while.

He’s not forgetting about us because it’s been so long.

No, He is here to save everyone who is lost!

He won’t stop on His end. We are just too important.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Jesus asked us to become as little children.

“Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)

And after being around kids for a while, you start to wonder: “Yeah, but not ALL the time, right?!”

Yes, kids can be humble, patient, and full of love.

Those are great qualities to try to emulate!

But there’s also a whole lot of immaturity and defiance and unawareness.

One thing I’ve noticed though is that kids have to learn how to listen to their parents, even when it doesn’t make sense to them.

In the last couple weeks, I’ve had a kid upset because they had to get strapped into their car seat for a long drive, another kid was upset because I wouldn’t give them a lollipop for breakfast, and another was upset because a block wasn’t fitting into the hole she thought it should go in.

From a parent’s perspective, this all makes sense.

My kids need to learn how to be safe.

They need to learn proper nutrition.

And they need to learn that some things just won’t work, no matter how hard they try.

But kids have a limited perspective which makes this frustrating sometimes for them!

I’ve realized that this is actually an essential part of becoming “like a child”!

Learning that we don’t know the bigger picture and trusting that SOMEDAY, we will see why what we had to deal with was necessary.

My kids may grumble about seatbelt requirements, breakfast foods, and toys, but they actually do a great job at also recognizing that there are adults who know more than they do, who are ready to guide and protect and assist.

While there are so many great ways to become childlike, this is one that might be a little less obvious but still so important:

We can be children who trust our Father in Heaven to know what lessons we need to learn when our wills aren’t aligned.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post A new childlike way  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

They thought I was going to let them play with the toys while I taught them a lesson.

But surprise!

I told them that they each had one minute to think about how the toy in their hand somehow related to Jesus Christ.

(I had grabbed all the toys at COMPLETE random, so I didn’t have anything in mind for them!)

After the youth moaned a bit and then realized I was totally serious, they started to think.

A minute later, they each took a turn to share.

I was AMAZED!

They talked about Jesus being the one who keeps them safe through life’s ups and downs, much like the roller coaster toy they were holding.

They talked about how Jesus helps them spread the gospel, just like a stretchy silly tube.

They talked about how Jesus helps them feel comforted in a crazy world, much like the fuzzy soft spots on the stuffed unicorn.

Jesus is everywhere, and His applications are endless.

I feel like as my relationship with Jesus matures, I discover new ways that He has helped me.

He has been my shepherd.

My light.

My motivation.

My peace.

My corrector.

My love.

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

“And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

“He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

“And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:13-16)

Who do you say Jesus is?

Sure, what do you know about Him, but more importantly, who IS He to you?

I can picture Jesus asking each one of us this same question that He asked Peter. And I think He really wants to know the answer in our hearts right now! 

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Whom say ye that I am?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It’s a big question.

I’m gonna bet that if you are reading this post from a scripture study account, you want to be like Jesus.

But is there anything you want more than that?

Maybe you just want to have friends and fit in.

Maybe you want your kids to be better behaved.

Maybe you want a better job.

Maybe you want your rough trial to end.

These are honestly all fine to want.

But when we want them MORE than we want to be like Jesus, we’ve started focusing on trying to save our own lives rather than turning to Christ to be saved.

Jesus even warned:

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it:

“and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 16:25)

Of course, we all want to improve our lives.

Finding ways to make our own situations and relationships better is a great goal.

But anything that causes us to focus on “saving” our own lives MORE than turning to Christ is something that should be removed.

And anything that causes us to focus on the Savior is something that we should keep!

One interesting thing I’ve noticed though:

Losing our selfish views of our lives by focusing on the Savior more, can actually sometimes give us what we originally wanted for ourselves as a by-product!

We might become more well-liked BECAUSE we are developing Christlike attributes.

We might earn more money BECAUSE of our righteous desires to bless other people.

We might feel more peace during our trials BECAUSE we are willing to give them to Jesus.

But no matter the result, when we really turn to the Savior, we will always find our true purpose in life.

And gain a Glory that is more amazing than anything the world could even pretend to offer!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post More than Jesus?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I was going through a time in my life where I felt really lonely.

I was venting to a friend, and she asked me this question.

Boom.

Immediately, ideas, comfort, and perspective came to my mind!

Have you ever noticed that before?

It’s sometimes a lot easier to coach other people through their hard times than ourselves.

We can see the little tender mercies that other people may have missed!

We can offer them an eternal perspective!

We can give advice for how they can improve the situation!

But when we are going through the tough time, doesn’t there seem to be a lot more self-pity?

“I don’t need comfort because I should be able to figure this out in my own.”

“There’s nothing I can do to make this better.”

“This isn’t fair, and I’m not sure why I have to endure this.”

One of the most transformative experiences is when we start to realize that all these things we “believe” ACTUALLY and LITERALLY apply to our own situations.

In one of the most tender and vulnerable interactions in all of scripture, a father approaches Jesus and asks Him to heal his son.

“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

“And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief”. (Mark 9:23-24)

Elder Bednar has commented about one possibility for this father:

“He may have believed in Christ generally but not believed Christ specifically and personally.”

What a sweet admission, for this man to tell Jesus that he needed help to believe with even greater conviction.

To make the transition from “Jesus heals everyone!” to “Jesus can heal my son.”

We usually only find out where we are at when we need the help and the miracle the most.

Do we believe in Jesus AND do we believe that Jesus can actually make a difference in our lives, no matter the circumstances?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Help thou my unbelief first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

In all reality, I was asking “for a sign”. ⁣

You can expect one of those in the temple, right?!

But guess what happened instead?⁣

After I waited and waited and prayed and prayed, the thought finally came to my mind:

“I’ve already given you all the signs. You just haven’t noticed them yet.”

And IMMEDIATELY my mind was filled with all the little miracles and answers that had already been given to me over the previous days and weeks!

I just hadn’t paid attention.

Or I was looking for something so much bigger that I dismissed the smaller, less impressive promptings along the way. ⁣

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus, asking for a sign to show that He really was the Savior of the world. ⁣

Jesus responded:

“When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. . . O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” (Matthew 16:2-3)

Jesus was telling them that they had already been given many signs that He was the Messiah. The “signs of the times” were everywhere, and yet they still wanted something bigger.

But I love that our Savior is still so loving and kind that He will point out many of the signs that we have missed.

He still gave the Pharisees an example.

And He brought all my answers to my remembrance that day in the temple.

How do we recognize the signs?⁣

Keep the Spirit with us at all times.

Make time for pondering.

Meditate. Journal. Reflect.

ASK Him to bring signs to your remembrance that you may have missed. ⁣

When we slow down and reflect, it’s humbling to see that the Lord has given us more help than we even realize!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Seeing the signs first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Why did Peter walk on water?

Why did he leave the boat?

Why did he think he could?

“We can’t know for certain, but perhaps Peter understood that the Son of God came NOT JUST TO DO wonderful things for the people but to EMPOWER people like Peter to do wonderful things too…⁣” -Come Follow Me Manual

This weekend in General Conference will be packed with goodness.

We will hear invitations.

We will probably hear stories of miracles.

We will listen to women and men who have devoted their lives to serving Jesus.

But this weekend isn’t meant for us to just listen.

We can, like Peter, turn it into an invitation to act!

To take part in the gathering of Israel.

To help those who suffer.

To wake up and do something more than dream of our mansions above.

“And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” (Matthew 14:28-29)

Jesus doesn’t want us to just be observers and listeners in the gospel.

I mean, we do need to listen. By all means, sit on the couch and watch 10 hours of church this weekend. It’s awesome.

But then we act!

We have the faith to get up and act on what the Spirit prompts us to do!

Feel overwhelmed with a million things you want to do that all seem good?

Pray about it.

No really.

The Spirit has always helped me focus my mind to what my next step needs to be when I try to become perfect in one fell swoop.

We can go through life and be acted on.

Or we can wake up, take that frightening but exhilarating step out of the boat, and be empowered to join with Jesus in changing everything.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Peter and General Conference  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It wasn’t enough to feed the crowd!

But then… it was.

It was enough.

Actually, it wasn’t even just “enough”.

“Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.” (John 6:13)

It was MORE than enough!

There were baskets full of pieces that were leftover.

Have you ever felt like you weren’t enough? Or that you weren’t doing enough?

There are way too many things that I feel like I’m “supposed” to be doing.

And I’m not doing anything really well.

From parenting, to being a good friend, to fulfilling my calling, to keeping an organized home…

I don’t feel like I’m doing enough.

But the 5 loaves of bread and the 2 fish were never meant to be enough to feed the crowd all on their own.

They needed Jesus to fulfill their purpose.

And we do, too.

We can remember Jesus, think of Him, pray often, read His words, and do as He would do.

Every time I try to do this again, I remember I don’t have to do everything all on my own.

I will never “be enough” or “do enough” with my own merits.

I need Him.

I need someone to multiply my efforts until they don’t just become exactly what is needed.

They become more than what is needed.

With Jesus, you are more than enough.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post More than enough  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.