What a mature, eternal perspective, right?!

In the midst of my most difficult trials, when I am able to remember this perspective, it makes things a little more bearable. ⁣

But why?

Probably because these thoughts push me toward my Heavenly Father and Savior.

My Heavenly Father wants me back home.

He wants me to have the glory and the blessings He has, of which I have no comprehension. ⁣

He gave me a Savior to help me along.

To turn to all of the time, but to lean on especially when things become difficult. ⁣

Anytime I am brought to this perspective, things seem a little more bearable.

A little more temporary. ⁣

I feel a little more strength.

That is because my Savior is bearing my load, yoked with me.

Sometimes I just need to remember he is there. ⁣

I feel a little more love and peace.

That is because my Heavenly Father gives me even more of the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life when I am thinking of Him and doing righteous things. ⁣

But I’ve also learned that I think these realizations and humbling thoughts come best from within. ⁣

Not from telling every person around us going through a difficult time that, “This will all be worth it! You will be fine!”⁣

But instead mourning, comforting, and listening to those who suffer.

Offering scriptures and talks they can read to gain their own comfort and to forge their own strong relationships with deity.

Sharing our personal experiences with love and tenderness. ⁣

When I am closer to my Savior and my Heavenly Father,

When I remember my relationship with Them,

When I put things into perspective…⁣

I realize, I can handle anything.

Because He can handle anything.

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Is it really all worth it?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

My husband and I recently celebrated 10 years of marriage.

It’s so fun to look back at how we first met.

There were so many things that “just happened” to work out.

There were conversations I “randomly” had with people that gave me advice I needed.

Looking back, it all worked out perfectly and for our good!

But I also remember navigating those unknown dating waters, and wishing that I could just magically know that it would all come together in the right way.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

So what if we could enjoy the joy and peace of “hindsight” right now?

What if, when trials and hard times come, we trust that we will be looking back one day fully understanding why we needed to travel that path?

I’ve tried this now many times in my life as I’ve navigated other huge decisions.

Jobs, kids, friends, moving…

I do my best.

I rely on the Spirit as much as I can.

And then I just trust that things will all work together for my good!

In fact, I am optimistically certain that this is the case— and it’s a fun way to live!

My goal is to live with this perspective, without having to wait until things really work together for my good in order to believe it.

God’s in control.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post All things work together for our good first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Basically, we learn one person’s story.

And then we assume that everyone who has a similar characteristic must also have a similar life.

Our brains unfortunately do this with skin color, how people are dressed, hair styles, gender, religion…

We assume.

We assume that everyone at church is doing great, and we are the odd ones out.

We’ve learned the single story of a “perfect member” and apply it to everyone sitting around us, alienating ourselves as the “other.”

Or we assume that “less-active” people have lost their testimonies because we think we know their full story.

Learning an individual person’s single story is a great way to know THAT person.

The danger comes when we use it to make negative assumptions and unfounded judgments.

Because at church, we have such a variety!

I have learned to truly love the diversity of life experiences, personalities, gifts, interests, and education that I’m surrounded by each Sunday.

We DO have many similarities when we belong to this church.

We are asked to become one in purpose. ⁣

But that doesn’t mean for a second that we all come to the table with the same experiences. ⁣

And I love it!⁣

“We, being many, are one body in Christ… Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us”. (Romans 12:5-6)

Becoming unified as a church means recognizing the variety of talents, life experiences, stages of testimony, and education that we each have.

And we celebrate it!

And we use it to uplift each other and connect with each other! ⁣

We truly get to know people instead of assuming and judging. ⁣

Connection.

The body of Christ is all connected in one whole.

The more we can connect and share, the closer we become, unified in Christ.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The danger of a single story first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I really wanted it.

And I didn’t get it.

I was devastated.

It was a really tough time for me to figure out what had gone wrong.

Have you ever prayed for something, and it didn’t happen?

From little “please help my baby fall asleep” prayers to much more serious and bigger prayers, it’s always a bit of a blow to not have a prayer answered the way we hoped it would be.

But I’m going to take a step back and get logical here:

That actually makes sense for not all of our prayers to be “granted”, right?

Even if we have righteous desires, we will never see the whole picture as Heavenly Father does.

In this instance with the job, God knew that I needed to find a different employment that would be perfect for my family and lead me to lifelong friends.

So why pray if we know not all of the things we desire in our prayers will align with God’s will?

Paul teaches us how the Spirit can help us know what to pray for!

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Romans 8:26)

The Spirit can help us know what to actually pray for.

“Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other.” —“Prayer”, Bible Dictionary

⁣It’s okay to pray for what we want.

But the Spirit can also help nudge our hearts toward what our Heavenly Father desires for us.

Our desperate prayers for a particular job all of a sudden start ending with “if it be Thy will.”

And then we feel prompted to start praying for new job opportunities to pop up.

And then we are praying for acceptance at a new job!

It can be a slow process, but a powerfully humbling one to see WHAT we pray for shifting over time as our sincere desires change.

One of the roles of the Spirit is that He can teach us what to pray for.

When we start changing our prayers into beautiful experiences where we listen to inspiration and follow the Spirit, we end up aligning our wills with God.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post How do I align my will with God? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.