You know those times where nothing’s actually really wrong, but nothing’s really right either?

I was just going through the motions, trying to make it to the end of the day so that I could sleep and reset myself.

I had a little thought, “Maybe read some scriptures to get out of the funk.”

And then a little later, “Maybe a Conference talk would help me out.”

But I kept pushing those thoughts to the side.

I was in a blah mood, and I just needed to survive until the end of the day.

I didn’t have the right mindset to make my brain focus on scriptures or a talk, so I just kept surviving and scrolling.

It was a long afternoon.

When Hezekiah was having a tough time, look at what he did:

“When king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.” (2 Kings 19:1)

What do we do during the tough times? During the weird times? The frustrating times? The overwhelming times?

Even the “blah” times?

We aren’t meant to be happy all the time, of course.

But when we aren’t happy, do we use that as an excuse to step back from God and focus on our issues, or do we use it as an opportunity to grow closer to Him?

Hezekiah was worried about battles, armies, blasphemy, and other political issues.

And he turned closer to God to find the answer.

What if we believed that turning to God really is the answer to every single problem?

No matter the issue.

Growing closer to God, whether that’s through temple attendance, reading the scriptures, praying, or whatever else works for you is always the best option.

And luckily other times I’ve made good decisions where I HAVE chosen to turn to God during my rough, blah, strange moods.

And it’s always worth the effort.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Turning to God first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Hitting someone = wrong

Saying something nice = right

It turns out, life isn’t always quite that easy.

As we read about the fall and the scattering of the northern kingdom of Israel this week, something stood out to me.

Of course, some of the Israelites were straight-up wicked and chose the wrong.

But in 2 Kings 17:15, we learn that for others?

“They followed vanity”.

Many scholars have clarified that the word “vanity” in the Old Testament is probably better translated as something that is “meaningless” or “worthless”.

We may not be choosing the wrong, but are we choosing things that are ultimately meaningless?

Sports teams, TV shows, social media, hobbies, apps…

Many of these things are not bad.

But in excess, or if used in a certain way…

Might they be a bit, well, meaningless?

(By the way, fun and relaxation are totally meaningful in my book!)

Take a moment today to think about what things might not be adding any meaning.

If so, let’s make sure they aren’t taking up any room that we need to add activities of great worth to our lives.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Vanity and meaning first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

That’s essentially what Hilkiah, one of King Josiah’s priests, did!

He discovered a lost “book of law”, and when Josiah learned what was contained in these scriptures, he was DEVASTATED.

In 2 Kings 22:13, we read: “Great is the wrath of the Lord that it is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book”. (2 Kings 22:13)

Josiah was realizing how much they had missed out on following the Lord for generations, all because they didn’t have these scriptures.

The scriptures are SO. IMPORTANT.

From a historical viewpoint, there are so many civilizations that didn’t keep a written record of what happened, which means we know virtually nothing about them.

I mean, we don’t have any written record of the 10 tribes from the northern kingdom of Israel after they were taken by the Assyrians, which is why we consider them “lost”.

The scriptures contain our spiritual history!

They keep us grounded in what the gospel really is.

They keep us grounded in what the Lord has promised and done for us.

They remind us of what He did for our ancestors.

In them, we can clearly see the patterns of what He has done over time.

This is why I have fallen in love with the scriptures–

They are like a constant checkpoint I can return to in order to make sure I’m not adding on or taking away from what God really wants to teach me.

I love the scriptures.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Why the scriptures first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.