News outlets, storytellers, and even advertisers know that our minds gravitate toward and remember the extremes. ⁣

We want to be shocked that someone is so wrong or different than we are, or we want to be amazed that someone did something so awesome or selfless. ⁣

The same is true in our own lives, right?⁣

If I asked you what your top 3 spiritual moments are, I bet you’d have a list. ⁣

If I asked you the 3 moments when you’ve felt the lowest or most depressed, I bet you’d have a list, too. ⁣

I’ve been trying to focus more recently on finding the beauty and godly power in the seemingly mundane middle parts of life. ⁣

I’m not experiencing my lowest lows right now, and I’m not experiencing my highest highs. ⁣

But there is spiritual power in the middle. ⁣

Like when I watch one of my kids choosing to do something kind.

Or when I have a really good conversation with a friend.⁣

Or when I read a scripture that just gives my heart a little bit of peace after a long day. ⁣

In our church, we love to use a phrase for these little daily miracles: “tender mercies”, which was first coined in these psalms. ⁣

In Psalm 40:11, David writes: “Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord”. ⁣

They aren’t the extremes. ⁣

But that doesn’t mean I want to notice them any less. ⁣

They are the little signs and support that God gives more often than my brain usually realizes.

Even though they might not be as memorable ten years from now, or honestly even next week, the tender mercies that I am given are what can really sustain me and show me that He is involved in the very details of my life. ⁣

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Tender mercies 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 now 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 What am I converted to?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Who would my teacher be?! ⁣

Would I like them? ⁣

Would it be a good school year? ⁣

We’d park and run up to the printed class lists that were taped on the side of the front office window at our elementary school, eagerly looking for our fate for the year. ⁣

Classroom teachers have such a big impact on their students and to what degree they are able to help each kid throughout the year. ⁣

And as a former classroom teacher, I know the weight and responsibility I would feel as I’d get MY class lists, knowing that kids and parents would be counting on me to do my job. ⁣

But what about real, adult life? ⁣

Wouldn’t it be nice to be assigned to an amazing teacher who would make sure you were learning everything you needed to know, helping you out when you struggled, and cheering you on all the time?⁣

Well… I think we actually might all be in the same class. ⁣

And we’ve been assigned the greatest, wisest, gentlest, happiest, kindest teacher of all. ⁣

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1) ⁣

Jesus is our shepherd. ⁣

He’s the one leading. ⁣

We won’t want any other teacher or feel jealous of that other class…⁣

Because we’ve got the best. ⁣

And we’ve all got Him. ⁣

Young and old, whether you are in a classroom this year or far from it. ⁣

We actually all belong on the greatest class list of all time. ⁣

With Jesus as our shepherd, if we choose to follow Him, we’ll have the greatest year ever. ⁣

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Class lists first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I wanted to do it right the first time and get her trained as quickly as possible! ⁣

To my surprise, all of the latest research said to NOT do rewards or sticker charts because that gets the kids dependent on the outside rewards, instead of getting them intrinsically motivated to use the toilet. ⁣

It made sense though, and I moved forward with training my daughter without any immediate rewards or prizes, other than my verbal praise. ⁣

To be honest, she trained herself very quickly and caught on like a champ, although there were certainly plenty of accidents along the way. ⁣

But I was filled with such pride for her that I wanted to get her a new stuffed animal as a reward. ⁣

I remembered the warning about extrinsic motivation, but I also felt that I really wanted to give this to her. ⁣

I gave her a gift, she was super excited, and it didn’t affect her bathroom journey at all. ⁣

Now bear with me as I make the weird comparison between potty training and our gospel progression….

I know that God doesn’t want us dependent on immediate blessings in order to have us keep His loving commandments. ⁣

He doesn’t want us reading our scriptures and then assuming everything will go perfectly that day, or saying a prayer asking for more patience and then immediately getting it. ⁣

He wants us to obey out of our love and devotion to Him, to be intrinsically motivated. ⁣

Job certainly learned this lesson. ⁣

But Job also learned another important lesson about the nature of God. ⁣

In Job 42:12, we read: ⁣

“So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning”.

God still wants to bless us because He loves us so much. ⁣

We don’t need to be motivated only by the blessings, hoping we’ll get another sticker on the eternal sticker chart. ⁣

But our loving Heavenly Father will always give us more than enough blessings to make up for anything we have lost, even if it means waiting until the next life.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post She still got a reward first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I practiced for a few weeks leading up to the race. ⁣

I’d push a stroller with a kid in it and run around the neighborhood. ⁣

At first, I could only run an embarrassingly small amount without stopping. ⁣

When I’d look at my phone to see how much I still had to run, I would almost quit. ⁣

It was too hard. I couldn’t do it. ⁣

But slowly, I built up my stamina. ⁣

On the day of the race, the cold morning air was sharp in my lungs.⁣

I started the race. ⁣

There were many times that I wanted to quit.⁣

My lungs were on fire and my calves started to cramp. ⁣

But I kept going because I knew the end point was near!⁣

I crossed the finish line, and immediately rested and drank tons of water before climbing in our heated car. ⁣

I pushed through my discomfort during the race because I knew it wasn’t going to last forever. ⁣

Isn’t this is the kind of perspective that can give us hope here on earth, too? ⁣

Some races are short and intense, some are long and grating. ⁣

But we know there is going to be a finish line with a greater reward than we could even imagine at the end. ⁣

Job was a powerful example of this. ⁣

He knew exactly what the reward was, and he had faith that it really would happen.⁣

Job bore this sweet but powerful testimony: ⁣

“I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” (Job 19:25-26) ⁣

Jesus Christ lives, and we will be resurrected! ⁣

That is the glorious finish line waiting for each of us. ⁣

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The finish line first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

She was so excited to grow this seed into a plant.

I talked to her about how she needed to remember to water it every day for the plant to grow. 

But the plant was eventually forgotten about.

When I showed my daughter the shriveled roots and sprouts, she was devastated.

“Can’t we save it?” she cried.

I had to teach her the harsh lesson that the plant wouldn’t grow anymore. 

It would be sad if that were the truth for us, too.

How devastating would it be for someone to die and for that to be the end of their existence? 

How sad would it be to have to share the news that because of death, someone is gone forever and ever?

I am so grateful to know that this life is not the end.

Job testified, “If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.” (Job 14:14)

This isn’t the end.

We will all live again because of Jesus!

It’s a simple truth that many of us have heard our whole lives.

But today I want to sit in that wonder for just a bit.

And I can find solace, just like Job did, that we will all live again.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The harsh plant first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

If every righteous person aced every test, made every sports team, and got major job promotions, there would be no need for faith. ⁣

If heartbreaking tragedies avoided every good person’s life, there would be no need for faith in Jesus Christ. ⁣

Faith in Jesus Christ doesn’t give any of us a “free pass” card from the trials in life. ⁣

Happiness will not always be ours. ⁣

But faith in Jesus Christ can bring joy at all times. ⁣

I think of “joy” as the more mature version of “happiness”.⁣

It’s calmer. It’s deeper. It’s more peaceful. ⁣

I have felt true, peaceful joy when I didn’t get the part in the school musical that I wanted. ⁣

I have felt true, peaceful joy when I’ve felt left out of social situations. ⁣

I have felt true, peaceful joy when traumatic world events have happened around me. ⁣

I have felt true, peaceful joy with devastating personal tragedies. ⁣

“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him”. (Job 13:15) ⁣

And it’s not because I’m naive. ⁣

Not because I’m pollyanna happy-go-lucky. ⁣

Not because I push my emotions down. ⁣

I have felt sadness and sorrow. I have cried by myself and mourned with others. ⁣

“The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.” —President Nelson⁣

Staying focused on Jesus Christ is the way to live. ⁣

When I choose to focus on Jesus more than I focus on my own circumstances, everything feels a little bit more joyful. ⁣

Jesus will always be the constant that I can trust, and that knowledge alone will always bring me joy.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Yet will I trust in Him 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 Jewish people 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.⁣

And that small example can lead people to Jesus Christ.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Joy and Light 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 Haman vs Mordecai first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I draw a lot of spiritual strength on finding patterns in the scriptures though, and the patterns are pretty clear:⁣

Fasting has been around for generations, and countless saints have used it to draw close to the Lord, petition the Lord, and humble themselves. ⁣

When Esther was gathering her strength and courage to approach the king, she requested the Jews fast for her. ⁣

But she also said that she and her handmaidens would be fasting, too. ⁣

Everyone was fasting. ⁣

And then Esther successfully approached the king to plead for her people.⁣

What has fasting done for you?

Why do you think we are asked to fast?

What spiritual strength have you seen from fasting?

What misconceptions do you think people have about fasting?⁣

I’ve learned it’s a deeply symbolic act that can have a lot of emotions, and of course physical sensations, tied up with it.

“Fast ye for me.” (Esther 4:16)

“Fasting, coupled with mighty prayer, is powerful. It can fill our minds with the revelations of the Spirit. It can strengthen us against times of temptation.” – Joseph B. Wirthlin

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Fasting thoughts first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.