It’s been a lot.

It’s hard every time to get the news that someone has passed on.

No matter how expected or unexpected, no matter how young or how old, no matter what they still had ahead of them or what they had already accomplished.

It’s hard to see someone pass on from this life.

And we’ve also had this unique experience to be able to see patterns throughout all of the services we’ve attended.

Each service has brought moments where I’ve cried. Where I’ve mourned things lost.

And each service has brought moments where I’ve felt the Spirit, filled with peace and hope for the future.

I’ve found peace and comfort in recognizing both parts.

And in recognizing how the Savior makes it all possible.

He rose from the grave so that the dark nights can turn into mornings.

“From sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day”. (Esther 9:22)

Life doesn’t end here.

Good days are coming.

Reunions and eternal life are ahead.

All thanks to Jesus Christ.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Good days are coming first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Each time I’ve had to navigate a tricky decision with education, medical interventions, or social situations, this has been so comforting to me.

I’m not a perfect mom.

But I’m the perfect mom for my kids.

And I don’t even think that this means I’ll always make the perfect decisions with my kids.

It doesn’t mean that I already have the perfect knowledge for how to raise them.

But I am the perfect mom to receive personal revelation to give my kids the mortal experiences that they will thrive in best here on earth.

I’ve been prompted to follow my gut instincts.

I’ve had concepts come to my mind that I learned years ago in a child development class.

I’ve had promptings to ask other moms for their experiences and opinions.

I’ve pleaded with the Lord.

I think about Esther in that moment when she realized all her people, her friends, her family relations, were about to be put to death.

The pressure seems like too much. How could she do this? She wasn’t that uniquely special or qualified?!

And Mordecai’s comforting words to her?

“Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

He implied that she was in the perfect place with her unique experiences to solve the problem in front of her.

She was the perfect person to receive personal revelation from the Lord on what she should do and how she should do it.

She was the perfect person to act in the ways that she knew best.

And it all yielded the best results.

We aren’t perfect in any title that we claim.

There is only one person who was.

But when we turn to Him and plead for direction and promptings, we become the perfect people for the tasks placed in front of us.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Perfect for the task ahead first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Haman was the epitome of being prideful.

Time and time again, he thought only of himself, he took personal offense to everything, and he felt like he needed to get revenge for any unfairness in his life.

And then we have Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, who seemed to be the epitome of humility.

He waited endlessly outside the palace doors to learn what his sweet cousin/adopted daughter was up to, he helped the king, he mourned with others when they received devastating news, and he humbly asked for Esther’s help.

So how does the story of Esther end up?

In Esther 8:2, we learn “the king took off his ring which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.”

Mordecai completely replaced Haman!

In other words, humility and selflessness completely replaced pride and selfishness.

Pride got Haman the immediate accomplishments and praise.

Humility got Mordecai the delayed awe and respect.

Pride told Haman that he deserved honor because of his title.

Humility taught Mordecai to do good works and not worry about the rest.

Pride taught Haman to take personal offense and to feel like he needed to teach others a lesson.

Humility taught Mordecai to fast and pray, to mourn and comfort others.

Pride is flashy, impressive, and usually results in immediate rewards and attention.

But humility always wins in the long-run.

How can you work today to grow your humility and selflessness so much that you kick out the pride?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Humility always replaces pride first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

We read in Esther 8:16 “The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.” (Esther 8:16)

What great qualities, right?!

Light. Gladness. Joy. Honor.

Do you feel any of those in your life right now?

The Jews certainly did. They were a happy and blessed people, and they showed that outwardly.

But guess what happened because of all this light and joy they were showing?

In that next verse, we learn, “And many of the people of the land became Jews”. (Esther 8:17)

Isn’t that cool?

Other people saw the light and joy that the Jews had, and it made them want to join in their faith.

This makes me wonder about my worshiping.

I really do feel a level of joy and peace in my heart, no matter what is happening around me.

But do I show the light, gladness, and joy that I feel from living gospel principles with others?

Do I let my light shine, or am I accidentally hiding it, wanting to fit in with the sadness, fear, and weight in the rest of the world?

Do I take the easier way out of just agreeing with the assumptions that I must be exhausted, frustrated, or scared?

Or am I brave enough to show that I feel peace and happiness right now, in this stage of life, and in this state of the world?

When we show the joy that we really feel, others can’t help but want to join in, too.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Brave enough to feel happy first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I’ve had my heart prepared to not be accepted into a program at school.

I’ve had my heart prepared for a struggle my son would have to face.

I’ve had my heart prepared before receiving a big calling that would affect our family a lot.

And as I’ve talked with others, I’ve had them share other personal, sacred experiences where their hearts have been prepared for a huge financial setback, and even the death of a loved one.

I know that God prepares our hearts in ways that are sometimes indescribable, and for experiences that we may be the only ones to know about.

God prepares hearts.

I also have learned that I can do my part to prepare my own heart for situations that I do know are ahead of me.

I’ve found literal priesthood power when I prepare my mind before entering the temple.

I’ve discovered genuine love when I prepare my heart to love and serve someone who seemed difficult to love and serve.

I’ve experienced great peace when I’ve prepared my soul to expect miracles.

“Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it”. (Ezra 7:10)

Life is busy and stressful and crazy.

But taking time to prepare our hearts or listening to promptings from God that prepare us for large tasks ahead will bring much more love and peace in the long run.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

This relationship, this love and devotion, has been weighing on my heart.

This is what matters more than anything.

To know Them. To love Them. To serve Them.

And I’ve probably felt this strong urge lately because I’ve also been bombarded with distractors.

Things that seem important to spend my spiritual energy on.

Things that invite me to use my mind to deal with other problems.

Things that are not bad in and of themselves, but things that certainly do not matter most.

I’ve been trying to simplify my testimony while also adding real depth.

And it all comes back to Jesus and my Heavenly Father.

I’ve felt this resolve to stand with Nehemiah and say:

“I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down”. (Nehemiah 6:3)

Not “down” to imply that I’m better than anyone else, but “down” to imply what my top priority is.

Nehemiah knew that his top priority was to focus on the walls of Jerusalem.

Meeting with Sanballat wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

It wasn’t a sin.

But it would have distracted him from his main focus, his top priority.

There are so many things to worry about, to defend, to explain, to understand.

But sometimes, we need to consolidate and focus on fostering what is most essential.

God. The Savior.

I’m doing a great work when I focus on Them and what my love for Them means.

And I will not stop.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post I will not come down  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Such joy, relief!

Out of Babylon and back to the land of your ancestors to rebuild the great temple as a sign of devotion to God.

Good intentions to do good things.

But then

SO MUCH OPPOSITION.

The work stops.

So heartbreaking!

But the prophet says to keep going despite all the opposition.

Letters are written to the Persian king trying to “tattle” on the Jews, encouraging the king to use his power to stop their efforts.

So what does the great Persian king Darius do with all of his social status, influence, and power?

He says, “Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place.”

He even then tells all these complaining neighbors to give the Jews any material they may need for the temple so that, “they be not hindered”. (Ezra 6:7-8)

Darius didn’t know these Jews. He doesn’t really know much about Jerusalem.

But he stood up for the people who were getting picked on and encouraged others to assist, too.

Elder Renlund, in his talk “Infuriating Unfairness” in April 2021, said:

“Brothers and sisters, not throwing stones is the first step in treating others with compassion. The second step is to try to catch stones thrown by others.”

You may not feel that you have the power and influence that Darius used for these Jews.

But how could you be a powerful example of love the next time someone starts gossiping?

How could you be a powerful example of grace the next time someone starts criticizing?

How could you be a powerful example of inclusion the next time someone starts excluding?

Little by little, we can catch the stones meant for those around us, and share love and support instead!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Catching stones for the Jews first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

So I read it again, trying to make sure my brain was engaged.

I read it a couple more times, and realized I still didn’t fully understand what I was reading.

I get confused by the scriptures plenty of times (which is why I love digging into the research to try and learn— even though it takes a long time).

But when I don’t have the time to research and study, I am often confused by these ancient books of scriptures that were written in different generations, in different cultures, and that have often been through many translations, too.

So why would we be asked to read and study the scriptures if it can be so difficult sometimes?

Even as I read through those confusing verses recently, I had a phrase pop out to me that taught me a little gospel truth.

I know that God always prepares a way for us to keep His commandments!

Even when I’ve read through confusing scriptures…

When I haven’t understood the context…

When I feel like I wouldn’t even pass a basic comprehension test…

I’ve had phrases pop out to me that make sense and teach me a powerful personal lesson.

I’ve received personal revelation.

I’ve felt the Spirit.

When the people of Jerusalem, after they had been able to rebuild and fortify their temple, all gathered together to hear Ezra read them the scriptures, it says that the scriptures were read in a holy way, and “caused them to understand the reading.” (Nehemiah 8:8).

These people had spoken different languages, completely forgotten what had been written down, and had been exposed to other cultures and religious practices.

And yet the Spirit caused them to understand the reading.

When we have the Spirit with us, even difficult passages of scriptures can bring us the answers we need.

Being in the scriptures is so so SO essential.

Feeling overwhelmed or confused? There’s lots of ways to learn more confidence in the scriptures.

But nothing can beat having the Spirit as a companion. The understanding that you NEED in your life is always available in the scriptures when the Spirit is present.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Confusing scriptures and spiritual understanding  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

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.