The word “schedule” is pretty meaningless.

Infants cry when they want. Sleep when they want. Have messy blowouts when they want.

I have so little control over a lot of details in my life right now!

It’s fine.

I know it gets better in some ways.

And crazier in others.

But even when I’m super tired and a hot mess, I’ve taken comfort in what I can control.

I can choose Jesus.

“Choose you this day whom ye will serve”. (Joshua 24:15)

I can choose to still pray.

I can choose to still scroll through some scriptures as I’m falling asleep.

I can choose to react with love and all the patience I can muster.

And I can also choose to recognize that raising my little baby, responding to her constant needs, is a huge way of serving the Lord, too.

I am choosing to raise this beautiful child of God.

I’m choosing to make personal sacrifices to raise her and give her what she needs.

Basically, I’m choosing to serve God each day by embracing the chaos.

It’s what I’m giving Him right now.

“Choosing the Lord” looks different to everyone in different stages of life.

But the choice will always be there— in fact, our Savior suffered to endure that the choice would always be there.

How have you chosen Jesus today?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Choose ye this day first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It’s one of my favorite songs that I learned as a child.

My language?

My actions?

What would I do if the Savior was right next to me?

It helped guide me to more Christlike decisions as a little kid.

But now, years later, with three kids of my own, it brings a different meaning to me.

Fear. Weakness. Dismay.

I’ve felt it all.

“Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:9)

My understanding of the Savior has grown a lot since I was a kid.

He’s not just there, watching me, hoping I say and do nice things.

He is with me in my weakness. In my dismay. In my fears.

He’s with me when I feel exhausted after putting out my kids’ little fires all day.

He’s with me when I think that I’ve messed everything up.

He’s with me when I hear more bad news.

He’s with me when I remember everything that’s on my to-do list.

“He is always near me, though I do not see him there;

“And because he loves me dearly, I am in his watchful care.”

He’s there cheering me on. Guiding me. Comforting me. Loving me.

His Spirit can always be with me, whenever I have the desire.

And because He is with me wherever I go, I have no need to feel fear and dismay.

I can be strong and have courage to conquer whatever comes my way.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Be strong first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Joshua, the new leader of the Israelites, approached the city of Jericho.

This was the climax of 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, and now what?!

Well, the Lord tells Joshua:

“See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.” (Joshua 6:2)

The Lord then proceeded to tell Joshua exactly what to do– march around the city once a day for six days, and on the seventh day, march seven times more. The priests will then blow ram’s horns, the people will shout, and the walls of Jericho will come tumbling down.

The prophet Joshua told his people the plan, they followed the directions, and the city was theirs.

Easy peasy, right?

Asked and answered.

Sometimes, the Lord is ready to give us the exact answer that we need.

But the tricky part then becomes having enough faith to actually follow through on the plans.

Have you had an experience like this before?

Receiving direct answers to prayers is the best.

But then we have to trust and act.

Because receiving the answer is only the first half of the equation.

Whether that means to quit the job, have that conversation, or march around a city blowing horns and shouting, it takes a lot of faith to follow through on our answered prayers.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Answered prayers first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

She’s recently learned how to read a whole bunch of words and is obsessed with trying to read anything she sees.

I had an article up on my computer that had the word “peacemaker” in the title.

Quin tried sounding out the word a few times and then asked me for help. (Those soft Cs are brutal!)

“Peacemaker”, I said.

“What’s a peacemaker?” she asked.

I was in the middle of getting work done while my other two little kiddos napped.

“Someone who brings peace,” I quickly said.

“What is peace?” she asked.

I heard the baby starting to stir. We had definitely talked about peace before, so I tried to think of the fastest way to explain it again.

“Peace is when we feel calm and quiet and happy,” I said.

“Oh, just like Jesus!” Quin said.

I finally realized what was going on and took my fingers off the keyboard.

Yes, we’ve been rocking family scripture study lately.

Yes, we’ve had lessons about peace.

Yes, she’s been to church and learned about peace.

But the real learning in my four year old’s brain was happening right here at the kitchen table on a Tuesday afternoon while I was trying to work.

I stopped what I was doing and we talked about peace. We talked about Jesus. She gave me examples of what brought her peace. We talked about being a peacemaker with her brother and examples of when she’s done that well.

Within five minutes, the conversation was over and I was soothing the baby.

Until the next day when she and her brother started fighting over a toy they both wanted.

I looked over to see her hand over the toy, find a different toy, and then offer to trade him a few minutes later.

The word “peacemaker” came to my mind.

I called her over, complimented her, and we had a quick little conversation about peace again.

And we’ve talked about it like five more times since then.

Teaching like that honestly takes some patience, vision, and even a bit of courage to start.

But real learning happens best in real life.

“Teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” (Deuteronomy 6:7)

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Teaching at my table first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It was early, it was outside, and I had a million other things to do.

When I arrived, I was disappointed to learn that none of my friends from my ward had even showed up, even though they said they would.

Sooooo I spent the rest of the activity performing service with a not-so-great attitude.

Annoyed that I had come, tired, cold, and a little bit sore from all the hard work.

Clearly, I was missing the entire point of the service activity, and my heart certainly was not happy.

The Lord taught the Israelites to serve the poor and needy in their community.

“Thou shalt surely give him, and thine hearth shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him”. (Deuteronomy 15:10)

We are asked to give freely to those who are need, which is so important.

But we also need to make sure our hearts are not grieved, annoyed, or resentful when we give service.

So would it have been better to just sleep in that Saturday morning and not go to the service project? (Like all my friends decided to do?!)

I don’t think so.

Service was still performed. Someone else got to feel gratitude for a lightened load. The leaders who had organized it didn’t have to sacrifice as much time away from their families because so many youth bailed.

And it has now become an anchor learning opportunity for me about how NOT to perform service.

(But just to be clear, that was not an immediate lesson I learned. Reflection and growth take time and maturity!)

I still try to show up to things, even when I don’t totally feel like it because I know at least other people’s loads get lightened.

But it’s so much better when I prepare my heart and mind with love beforehand!

Giving with a happy and willing heart makes all the difference.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Happy heart to serve first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

God loves us so much.

He wants us to become more like Him and His Son.

That can seem a bit vague and overwhelming, so He also gives guiding commandments that help keep us on the right path of truth.

Most of us start our gospel journey because we realize how much we love God.

Whether you realized that as a young child, learned it as an adult, or anything in between, most of us have felt love and wanted to give love.

So then we start keeping the commandments to make sure that our “love” is actually developing us closer and closer into the Divine.

And then we sometimes get stuck here.

Keeping the commandments.

Just keep the commandments.

Tick those boxes. Get a perfect score.

Ahhh, totally fell off the track there. Try to keep the commandments even better.

And we slowly start to lose sight of the WHY.

Why are we keeping commandments?

Why are we given commandments?

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)

He wants our heart. He wants our soul. He wants our might.

But only if we are ready to willingly give them to Him.

Just to be clear, commandments are amazing and absolutely necessary, and doing our best to keep them is essential in molding our character.

But we’ve gotta keep that WHY in mind.

Does your heart really want to do what Jesus asks you to do?

Does your whole soul desire to be able to enter God’s presence?

Do you use all your might to listen to the Spirit and follow revelation and commandments?

THESE  are my life goals. To be able to firmly answer “YES” to all three of these questions.

It’s a huge, lifelong task, but what God really wants is my heart.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The commandment pattern first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I had been asked to play a musical number for the Saturday evening session of our stake conference.

And I was SO NERVOUS.

I knew this hymn arrangement super well and it was completely memorized.

But I kept messing up!

Each time I played a wrong note, I would pull the music out and practice that part over and over.

And then I would completely butcher another part that I had always played perfectly.

I focused on each individual note so hard.

Day after day.

The stake conference was approaching and I was honestly embarrassed. I thought I had this piece memorized flawlessly, and yet here I was thinking about every single note and messing up in random spots.

As I sat down discouraged to practice one last time, a thought came to my mind:

“Invite the Spirit and play your testimony.”

I put the music away, closed my eyes, and started playing.

But this time, I tried not to think about any notes.

I just thought about the message and the spirit that I hoped to share as I played.

And I played it perfectly.

I realized later that I played it perfectly BECAUSE I had stopped worrying about all the details.

I had stopped harping on every single mistake that I made and making it a super big deal.

I just got to the core of why I love to play the piano— because it helps me bear my testimony of God and light and hope.

Isn’t this true in regular life, too?

When I try to follow all the rules perfectly and feel overwhelmed with guilt every time that I mess up, then I notice even more mistakes.

Things get even worse. Even messier. I can’t fix it all.

I need a good dose of that simple but powerful lesson Moses tried to teach the Israelites with a brass serpent:

“Every one that… looketh upon it, shall live.” (Numbers 21:8)

It’s too simple.

We just have to love Jesus and God and invite the Spirit to be with us.

That’s all.

And when we do those things with our whole souls, all the rest of the little details fall into place.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Messing up on the piano first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Sure, they complained about it.

But they still ate the miraculous manna from heaven. Every day.

“Manna” is usually compared to the “daily” gospel stuff we are asked to do.

Prayer. Scripture study. Pondering. Service.

(Cue the guilt.)

If we use this analogy, then technically, the Israelites WERE doing all those things each day.

But what was their attitude about it?

“There is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.” (Numbers 11:6)

They had completely lost their GRATITUDE for the daily miracles.

They interacted with God so consistently that they forgot to feel grateful for the interactions.

So are we forgetting how miraculous it is to have scriptures?

What a miracle it is that we even have access to these ancient texts?

What a miracle it is that we can be taught and guided by their words?

What a miracle it is that we are able to approach the God of all the universe in individual prayer?

Here’s what I’ve found:

When I remember what a miracle each of these daily touch points are, I can’t help but feel overwhelming gratitude.

And when I feel that gratitude, I am more likely to actually study my scriptures or say my prayers.

Gratitude is a beautiful motivation to interact with the divine each day.

I am grateful for all the ways I get to connect with heaven each day.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Gratitude for the manna first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“I’m reading my scriptures each day, so why am I still struggling to be patient with my kids?”

“I followed that very specific prompting, so why did that friend start pulling away from me?”

I’ve thought these questions, and many more like them, at various points in my life.

Basically, they are all a form of:

If I’m being loyal to God, why aren’t the circumstances of my life awesome?

The Israelites were really good at looking at their outside circumstances.

And when they looked at what they had physically been through… boy, was there a lot to complain about.

“Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!… were it not better for us to return into Egypt?” (Numbers 14:2-3)

They had endured so much since leaving Egypt, so wouldn’t it have been better to just endure the hard things they had to face in Egypt?!

Why did life seem to be getting harder and more difficult, even though they were following the Lord and the prophet?

Oh children of Israel, I can relate to that question.

And this is why I love studying the scriptures.

Because from far away, I can see the answer that the Lord wanted to teach the Israelites.

It seems crystal clear and obvious.

And then I go… “Oh yeah. Duh. He’s doing the same thing in my life, too.”

God doesn’t want us to measure the success of our life by our circumstances.

He never has, in Old Testament times, New Testament times, Book of Mormon times, and modern times.

So why would I think my life would be the exception?

Boom. I love studying the scriptures for this exact reason. I see the PATTERNS the Lord has worked with for centuries.

Why does the Lord care if we keep His commandments with sincere intent?

Because He cares about the journeys that our hearts take.

Are we becoming more devoted? More dependent? More likely to align our will to His?

That’s what a successful disciple’s life has looked like, dispensation after dispensation.

He wants to see where our hearts go and what they become.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Journeys and patterns first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I love teaching, I knew I connected well with my students, and I felt really fulfilled from my job.

So when I prepared to return to work after taking maternity leave with my first child, and I received a strong prompting to resign from my job at the end of the school year, I was shocked.

That wasn’t my plan.

That wasn’t what I wanted.

But I also could not deny that prompting— resign from teaching at the end of the year.

I realized that when I told people about my resignation at first, I would “blame” it all on God.

“I wanted to keep working, but I got a super strong prompting to quit so I guess that’s what I’m doing!”

I had my own will.

I had learned God’s will.

And I guess I was going to let His will win.

Then one day, it clicked.

God didn’t want me to grudgingly follow this prompting, blaming Him for giving up what I really wanted.

He wanted me to do it willingly.

And so I started to pray.

I prayed for the desire to WANT to quit my job.

(Kind of weird, I know.)

But that desire came. Pretty quickly, too.

And suddenly I felt so much more at peace about my decision.

I wasn’t “giving in” to what God wanted for my life.

My will and God’s will had become one.

We wanted the same thing, even though I wasn’t sure about the WHY yet.

“Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it”. (Exodus 35:5)

God doesn’t want us to come dragging our feet and blaming everything on Him. On His promptings, on His commandments.

He wants us to come and sacrifice willingly.

And I’ve learned that if I truly come to the altar of prayer with a desire to have our wills become the same, He will always help my heart get to the right place.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The will to quit my job first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.