Almost every time that I get really frustrated with my kids, it’s because I’m trying to do something else at the same time.

I’m trying to make dinner, but they keep needing me to open and close colored markers every single second.

I’m trying to text back a friend, but they need help getting in and out of dress up clothes.

I’m trying to read an article I saw online, but they keep getting into an argument with each other.

When I’m completely focused on being with my kids and not trying to do anything else, everything is so much better.

I’m able to be in the moment with them.

I catch and stop the arguments before they even start.

I’m happy to help them because I see the needs that they have.

Now, the conclusion isn’t to just be 100% focused on my kids’ desires constantly, because that is not realistic in life!

But I have been intentional in trying to create more moments throughout the day where I am completely focused on them.

Not trying to do something else at the same time.

No multitasking.

Just focused on them.

As we finish our three week study of the Psalms, I can’t help but notice the spiritual connection, too.

“Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord.” (Psalm 150:6)

Praising the Lord requires putting away the to-do list.

Pushing back my mortal exhaustion and distraction.

Valuing connection over productivity.

So I’ve also been trying to make more one-on-one time with the Lord.

Completely focused on Him.

Feeling awe and reverence and respect.

Singing.

Creating.

Pondering.

With nothing else going on.

It’s difficult.

It’s not easy to choose to do something that will not get me any closer to a cleaner house, a more organized life, or a shorter to-do list.

But it’s always worth it. It’s beautiful. It’s connecting.

It’s divine to praise the Lord.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Praise over productivity first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts”.

Of course, the Almighty God doesn’t need an invitation to know our hearts and our thoughts.

But still, isn’t that such a bold and confident invitation that David makes?

It can be uncomfortable when I realize that the Lord knows I’m making up excuses to not say my prayers again, or when I’m annoyed at someone I’m supposed to be serving, or when I’m just going through good motions without any good intent behind them.

But today, I want to do something a little different.

I invite you to reflect on the good things that the Lord would find if you invited Him to know your heart and to know your thoughts.

What good intentions would He find?

What love would He experience?

What hope and faith would He discover?

The Lord knows all the good things going on in your heart and in your mind.

I bet He is proud and happy and pleased with so much.

Knowing our hearts and our thoughts actually doesn’t seem so uncomfortable anymore.

It seems… merciful.

There is so much good within you.

Even when it seems like your good intentions aren’t visible to anyone, they are visible to Him.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Search my heart first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

For very good reason!

But can you remember the kids at your school who were always picked first?

The one that everyone always wanted for dodgeball because that meant you’d be less likely to get hit yourself?

Or maybe you were that kid.

On the other hand, I was the kid everyone wanted on their team for review games in math class.

I was pretty cool.

I also think about when I had my first baby.

I had some amazing baby showers with such kind and thoughtful gifts from the people that I love.

I felt the power of all the people who were on my side.

I also think of other times in my life where I’ve been struggling and it feels like no one notices.

It’s like no one was really on my team or taking care of me.

Well in the grand scheme of life, guess who you have on your team?

He’s the most coveted, most powerful, smartest, kindest, and friendliest person.

He’s the one that everyone wants.

He’s the one that’s going to guarantee that you win in the end, even if you may get hit a few times here and there.

“The Lord is on my side”. (Psalm 118:6)

He’s got you.

You can breath a sigh of relief now.

You’ve got the one you were hoping for.

The Lord is on your side!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The Lord is on my side  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Too too many to count.

Sixth graders forget to write their names on everything from casual homework to formal tests!

The assignments I would get without a name on them would go in my “no name” folder, and zeros would go in the grade book.

When students realized their overall class grade was tanking from a missing assignment, they’d usually rush to the “no name” folder, find their nameless work, write their name on it, and turn it back in.

And their grade would go right back up.

No matter how many times they turned in late no-name work, their grade would go right back up.

Psalm 136 is pretty cool because every single verse ends with the same phrase:

“For his mercy endureth for ever.”

“O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.” (Psalm 136:26)

Forever.

Always extending mercy.

Every time we realize we forgot something important.

Every time we realize our spiritual progression has been halted.

Every time we know something is wrong.

He will extend His mercy. He will forgive.

Over and over and over.

We never have to worry that we’ve run out of opportunities.

We don’t have to worry that we’ve taken too many chances.

That grade can always go right back up.

All semester long. And next semester. And the next.

Because His mercy endures forever!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

It’s a piece of parenting advice I’ve been leaning into recently.

I’ve proved it time and time again.

One of my kids kept doing something they shouldn’t do over and over, and any correction I was giving was clearly going in one ear and out the other.

“What you focus on, grows.”

I wanted to keep correcting, but I decided to ignore the behavior and instead start asking him questions about a fun play date he had recently.

He got so excited and started talking all about it.

I was able to build positive interactions and compliment him.

The bad behavior stopped, and it ended up being a fun little connection moment with him.

“What you focus on, grows.”

I’ve found it to be so true in my life, too.

When I keep complaining, my problems seem bigger and worse.

When I keep showing gratitude, my blessings seem bigger and better.

When I try to find more opportunities to serve, I serve more.

When I judge someone, I start finding more and more things to judge about them.

“Let God be magnified.” (Psalm 70:4)

I want God to become more and more magnified in my life.

I want to continue to focus on Him day after day.

I want to think of Him, speak of Him and love Him.

I want to make more space for Him in my mind and in my schedule.

Because what I focus on, grows.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What you focus on grows first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

This writing included some of my thoughts on various gospel topics.

There were a lot of things that I was really impressed that I had written, and I was very proud of past-Cali!

But there were other things that I thought and wrote that made me literally cringe.

Some judgmental things, superficial things, things that I clearly had not really thought through but was just repeating what I had heard…

It was honestly a little weird to read some things.

And the reason it seemed so weird to me is because I have changed and grown so much on a spiritual level!

My soul has been stretched and refined and my testimony has gained more depth and love.

And looking at my words I had written years ago, I had this solid proof of just how far my spiritual maturity has come.

When I read the words of Psalm 66:16, I can’t help but add my testimony to it:

“Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.”

How has God changed you from who you were 10 years ago? 5 years ago? 1 year ago? Last week?

What has He forgiven you of?

What understanding has He given you?

What refining has He done?

What questions has He answered?

What love has He put into your heart?

What has God done for your soul?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post God has changed my soul first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It was a unique life experience where I knew something really difficult was about to happen.

There wasn’t much I could do to prepare other than plead for heavenly assistance.

I joined my voice with David when he said:

“Draw nigh unto my soul”. (Psalms 69:18)

I quite literally said in prayer, “I’m going to need Your strength a lot more. I need You closer to me.”

I put the responsibility on the Lord.

He needed to come closer to me to help support me through this tough time, right?

The Spirit often speaks to me by putting whole sentences or phrases right in my mind.

The response I immediately got was:

“I’m already here. You know what you need to do to draw more of My power into your life.”

It was exactly the message that I needed to hear.

How do we get Jesus to draw closer to us?

We draw closer to Him.

Since that moment, I’ve tried to make the Savior an even higher priority in my life.

I’ve tried to make more time for Him, I’ve tried to speak with Him more, and I’ve tried to speak about Him more.

I’ve drawn closer to Him, even though it’s seemed like He has drawn closer to me.

And other times, I’ve forgotten.

I’ve thought, “Where is He? Why do I feel so out of touch?”

And then I remember.

Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father are certainly not out of touch with me.

As a caveat, I do fully believe that the Lord can send extra measures of His Spirit when we are in need, and I don’t believe that we can force spiritual experiences by our actions.

God is divine and can do according to His desires.

But I needed the gentle but firm reminder that day that when I’m hoping that God will come closer to me, there’s usually only one of us who is actually being distant.

It’s on me, with righteous and pure intent, to seek Him out.

To stretch out my hand to accept His help that’s been there all along.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post How to get the Lord to draw nearer  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Between kids’ activities, church callings, work, and millions of other things on my to-do list, I honestly feel overwhelmed pretty often.

My mind usually starts to freak out a bit.

How am I ever supposed to get anything done?!

It’s impossible. This is all too much.

No solution in sight.

David gave a beautiful, heartfelt cry in Psalm 61 that surprised me because he was also talking about his overwhelmed heart:

“When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (Psalm 61:2)

I love that.

When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher that I.

Who is that rock who is higher than we are?

My Savior, Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the person I can turn to when my mind is racing and I don’t think there’s a way to get it all done.

He makes my priority list more clear.

He sends promptings to help me eliminate some items on that list.

He helps me feel pleased with what I have been able to do instead of overwhelmed with what I haven’t.

He helps me accomplish what is essential.

Jesus is that sure rock.

He is higher than I am in perspective, in wisdom, in clarity, in light, and in love.

And so I join my prayer with David’s.

When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post  An overwhelmed heart first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

And it’s absolutely true.

“Be still, and know that I am God”. (Psalm 46:10)

But I can’t stop thinking about the second half of this phrase.

Like, I haven’t been able to get it out of my head all week.

“Know that I am God.”

Do we know who God is?

Do we know what it means for the God of the Universe to also be our loving Heavenly Father?

Do we know that God knows everything?

That He knows the end from the beginning?

He knows our divine worth and our weaknesses.

He creates.

He orchestrates.

He loves.

Do we know who God is, what He knows, what He does, and who He loves?

Because when I reflect on the glimpses of truth that I know about my God, I want to find even more still moments.

My problems don’t seem as big.

My priorities become sharpened.

My desire to share selfless love with others is strengthened.

My distractions seem silly.

Yes, it is vitally important for us to find stillness in the craziness of life.

But I think it’s even more important to know what to do during those quiet times.

Ponder.

Worship.

Love God.

Be still.

And know who God is.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Know who God is first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I’ve had to ask myself that question many times.

I’ve had other people ask me this question many times.

Because it’s been grounded in the wrong places before.

It’s been grounded in that fun leader who made me enjoy going to church.

It’s been grounded in having cool callings.

It’s been grounded in girls camp.

It’s been grounded in really nice people.

It’s been grounded in having a good social life and network.

And many more places that aren’t necessarily bad places to be at all.

But those things aren’t lasting.

So I’ve had to ask myself, “What do I really believe? What is this all about?“

It’s Jesus.

It’s His words and His teachings.

It’s His commandments and His covenants.

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” (Psalm 19:7)

My soul is deeply, deeply converted to Jesus’ perfect word.

His word was given in ancient Old Testament times.

His word was taught and lived as an example in New Testament times.

His word was practiced and experienced in Book of Mormon times.

His word was reiterated in modern times.

The law, the commandments, the teachings, the covenants.

They aren’t new. They are everlasting.

And they truly and completely convert my soul.

It’s all about Jesus.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Converting my soul  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.