“What did you do at school today?”⁣

When I taught 6th grade, I would tell my students to imagine a parent had just asked them that question. ⁣

How would they respond?⁣

My 6th graders ALWAYS said their most common response to that question was, “Nothing.”

(And now that I’m a parent, I’m starting to get this same response when I ask what a kid did at school/preschool/primary…)

But when I would have this discussion with my 6th graders, we would use this as a springboard to talk about plots in stories.

We basically never read or listen a story where there was no problem of some kind.

Good stories only happen when there is some “inciting event” that initiates a problem to deal with or solve.

And that’s really one of the biggest reasons why kids say “nothing” happened at school.

It’s because they can’t think of anything “story-worthy” to share. ⁣

No problems = no stories.

Our brains are wired to crave stories, though!

That’s why we love reading and watching TV shows.

That’s why scriptures are more effective at teaching doctrine than bullet point lists of what we believe.

That’s why we get together with friends and end up telling story after story. ⁣

But sometimes, there aren’t really any stores to tell.

“And it came to pass that in the commencement of the seventeenth year of the reign of the judges, there was continual peace.” (Alma 30:5)

These may seem like the most “boring” parts of the Book of Mormon.

No problems? No stories!

But if we zoom in, what “boring” and “unspectacular” things were happening during these times of peace?

What unsuspecting service was being performed?

What normal life events happened?

And while these are fun questions to ponder on, it also makes me think of the more normal times in my own life.

Where I may not have a big, dramatic, story-worthy trial I’m facing.

Those regular, routine schedules and to-do lists.

Are those times of peace for me?

Could the mundane moments of my life also be summed up as times of “continual peace”?

Can I maybe do a better job at learning to feel gratitude for those peaceful times?

They may not be story-worthy, but those moments can be just as formative as the big stuff.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

Share:

Facebook
Pinterest
Email
Print

2 Responses

  1. This is Golden.

    Thank you.

    Every time I read your applications of scripture to real life I am amazed at your abilities.

    Thank you
    Thank you

    Ps
    Glad camp is over for 11 more months 😂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Privacy Policy

Keep Studying

Related Posts

Powerful leaders 

Do you have a leadership calling in the church right now? When I read the history of the Jaredites, there seems to be one common

The wind doesn’t stop 

I’ve got some winds blowing in my life right now. ⁣ It seems like the winds never stop. ⁣ I try to block things out

Gratitude in the barge 

Can you imagine stepping into a barge, knowing that you wouldn’t be on dry land for who-knows-how-long, with absolutely no way to steer the vessel?!

Friends in the Book of Mormon 

If you would’ve asked high school Cali what it meant to be a good friend, I probably would have said something like:⁣ “Someone who invites

The forest and the trees

The brother of Jared had a concern: “O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for