Even if I practice a piano piece for hours on end, I still might make a giant mistake in a performance. ⁣

Even if I do everything that I’m supposed to do and more, I still might not get that promotion at work. ⁣

Not much in this life is guaranteed. ⁣

It’s a tough life lesson to learn. ⁣

But what WILL always be guaranteed? ⁣

Covenants. ⁣

Any covenants that we make with God will be honored 100%. ⁣

Have you ever thought about what a blessing that is before? ⁣

We don’t have to wonder if God will be in a good mood that day, or if we will get the chance of possibly having a promise fulfilled–we can be TOTALLY sure that God will hold up His end of the bargain every single time. ⁣

Solomon wisely prayed before an altar of the Lord, saying: ⁣

“Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart.” (1 Kings 8:23) ⁣

I am so grateful for a covenant-keeping God! ⁣

It’s so calming to know I don’t have to worry about the things that I’ve been promised being taken away, or given to too many other people. ⁣

It’s always in reach. ⁣

So what I can focus on is being the best covenant-keeping saint that I can be, repenting every single time that I fall short, and recommitting again.

“Honoring covenants arms us with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.” – David A. Bednar

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Nothing is guaranteed except… first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Moses described Bezaleel by saying:

“And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass.” (Exodus 35:31-32)

Those sound like pretty cool gifts, right?!

Bezaleel was talented and had probably worked hard to hone in on his crafts over the years.

But the Lord had something extraordinary in mind.

Bezaleel’s specific talents and abilities were needed to help build and beautify the tabernacle.

And Bezaleel willingly used his gifts, all given from God in the first place, to serve the Lord in building His holy house. 

What are some of the talents and gifts you’ve been given from God?

What are skills you’ve worked hard to develop?

How have you been able to use those abilities to help give back and show thanks to the Lord?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What is your talent?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I could write out a whole list. ⁣

Some things, you would probably say are very well justified. ⁣

Other things probably seem much larger to me than they really are. ⁣

Regardless, I’ve found a lot of things that have piled up in my mind. ⁣

Getting everything done or handling everything with grace seems… well, impossible to me. ⁣

It’s all impossible. ⁣

And so this question has not been able to leave my head:⁣

“Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)⁣

Because it sure seems too hard for me to handle. ⁣

But here’s a beautiful connection I’ve recently made: ⁣

If my Lord can handle it all,⁣

And if He has promised to take my yoke and bear my burdens,⁣

Then nothing is impossible for me when I partner with the Lord. ⁣

Sarah laughed when she heard she was getting a son, when it was biologically impossible. ⁣

Impossible. ⁣

And yet, it happened. ⁣

The Lord can make miracles happen all on His own. ⁣

I’ve had a few, tender, sacred moments in my life where I have seen these truly impossible miracles occur. ⁣

But more often, I see it more as a partnership. ⁣

A very, very, unfair and unequal partnership. ⁣

Where my load seems quite impossible. Mentally; physically; emotionally. ⁣

But I know that nothing is too hard for Him. ⁣

And so I rely on Him even more. I invite Him in. I tell Him the intricacies of what I’m facing. ⁣

And the cliche is true— the burdens are still there. The load is still as big as ever. ⁣

But I’m able to feel those moments of peace and relief as I endure. ⁣

With God, nothing is impossible. ⁣

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Nothing is impossible to Him  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

There’s a part of me that thinks if I learn my lessons quickly enough, then the trial might end sooner. ⁣

But sometimes… the trial is just the worst. ⁣

It’s heavy. It’s no fun. There’s no end in sight. ⁣

And I can’t find even a shred of a lesson to be learned anywhere. ⁣

Except… just endure. ⁣⁣

Several years ago, I endured a few months of a severe trial. ⁣

It was kicking my booty. ⁣

And then, the trial was over. ⁣

I felt so much better, lighter, more free…⁣

But I still didn’t know what lesson I was supposed to learn from it. ⁣

I thought I would get clarity afterwards. But the trial just seemed dark still, even looking back. ⁣

Hmmmm. Maybe there wasn’t a lesson to learn other than that life is just hard sometimes. ⁣

One day, a friend called me and told me about her latest trial. ⁣

It was exactly what I had experienced. ⁣

I turned into full-on empathy mode. I told her to complain to me. I constantly checked in with her. ⁣

I told her that I knew this was the worst, and that there wasn’t much that was going to make it better and that I was so sorry. ⁣

And then I heard about someone else I didn’t know super well who was going through the same trial. ⁣

It felt a little awkward at first, but I knew I needed to reach out and lend an understanding listening ear. ⁣

Finally one evening, I reflected. ⁣

What if THAT was the blessing?⁣

What if the blessing of my trial was the empathy that I gained for others? For the future acts of service I could perform because I perfectly understood how crushing it was to endure? ⁣

The Lord taught in D&C 103:12: “For after much tribulation… cometh the blessing.”⁣

Sometimes the blessings are evident during the trial. Sometimes they are evident right afterwards. ⁣

But sometimes… sometimes it’s not until after. ⁣

Long after. ⁣

That we begin to see what the blessing might have been.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Loooong after the trial  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

When I sit down to write, and my mind goes completely blank.

I write a lot of things to share on social media.

There was one time where I had a scripture that I really wanted to post about, so I pulled out my phone to write a caption.

But……. As much as I loved the scripture and wanted to share it, my mind was completely blank for what to write.

I tried to think of personal stories, other perspectives I could add…

Nothing.

I looked at the time and realized I only had 5 minutes left before I needed to go somewhere.

Yet, I still couldn’t think of anything!

I quickly prayed.

“Heavenly Father, help me to be able to type this post while I have the time!”

I waited a bit.

And still, nothing.

I finally gave up and moved on to my next activity.

Honestly, I was a little frustrated that Heavenly Father hadn’t helped my brain focus when I needed it the most.

Fun fact, this particular event happened in the beginning of March 2020.

When I frustratedly put my phone away, unable to access divine power to blast away my writer’s block…

I had no idea what was going to happen over the next 48 hours.

That “sickness” I had vaguely heard about on the news, completely shut the world down.

The world had changed in an instant.

And that scripture that I couldn’t write a caption about?

It took on a totally new meaning. What I had thought about writing wouldn’t have even seemed relevant. The changes in the world gave me a perspective that allowed me to write a lot of my thoughts.

Many of us have learned:

“Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand.” (Jacob 4:10)

I was trying to “counsel the Lord” with my bad attitude about Him not ending my writer’s block.

I was getting frustrated that He wasn’t doing what I asked!

And yet, I was missing an opportunity to hear His real message to me.

Maybe He was trying to calm my heart and let me know that my writer’s block was a blessing that would make sense in a few days.

Maybe He was gently urging me to become more humble.

Maybe He was prompting me to move to a different task.

What messages might you and I be missing right now?

What answers are we waiting for so loudly that we unintentionally miss the Spirit’s calm voice? 

“We ought not to think of God’s plan as a cosmic vending machine where we (1) select a desired blessing, (2) insert the required sum of good works, and (3) the order is promptly delivered.” – D. Todd Christofferson

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Counseling the Lord first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Please, do not sign me up for that.

But that is what the women in Lehi and Ishmael’s families had to endure as they trekked away from Jerusalem.

I want to compare two different verses about this same difficulty.

Here is what Nephi (and I would assume the God-focused wives of the group) said:

“And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings.” (1 Nephi 17:2)

And here is what Nephi’s brothers (and I would assume their wives) said:

“We have wandered in the wilderness for these many years; and our women have toiled, being big with child; and they have borne children in the wilderness and suffered all things, save it were death; and it would have been better that they had died before they came out of Jerusalem than to have suffered these afflictions.” (1 Nephi 17:20)

Everyone is asked to endure hard things.

But the afflictions are much easier to bear when we look for the blessings we receive within the trial.

The Lord was still pouring blessings upon them in their difficult time, but only some stopped to look for the Lord’s hand.

What’s your “Laman and Lemuel” version of the difficult things you’ve had to endure in your life?

What are the complaints that honestly can seem pretty reasonable?

But I think this is the big difference between non-believers and believers:

We, as disciples of our Savior, know that when we humble our hearts, we can start to see the hand of God guiding, protecting, and preserving us along the way.

The “stuff” to endure is still there.

But our effort to look for the blessings from the Lord makes all the difference for our inner peace during the trials.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Two different perspectives first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

When faced with a tragedy, most people say that the traditional offering of “thoughts and prayers” doesn’t do anything.

People say that only actions will change things or offer any real help.

I always think:

Why not both?

Thoughts and prayers AND action!

We should always accompany our prayers with sincere effort.

Effort matters!

Whether that’s taking steps to support family members who need help.

Or actually reaching out to the ward members who aren’t at church.

Or becoming involved in advocacy for national or international causes that you care about.

But what do we do when “action” isn’t an option?

What do we do in those impossibly difficult moments when someone is enduring a trial that we wish we could take away but can’t?

What do we do when someone’s heart is too hardened to notice our efforts?

What do we do when we can’t control the outcome?

I have learned that prayer works.

Prayer really works.

God is powerful.

There are some blessings that God wants to give to us, but He needs us to ask Him in prayer.

The Bible Dictionary entry for “Prayer” says:

“The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them.

“Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them.

“Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.”

That’s the only condition for many blessings!

We have to ask.

We have to intentionally ask.

“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.” (1 Thessalonians 1:2)

We can plead for those around us in our prayers.

We should absolutely accompany our sincere prayers with actions and service if possible. ⁣

But our Heavenly Father recognizes the form of “work” that offering a prayer is and is willing to give us and others blessings from that action.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Thoughts and prayers! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Everyone is called to be a ministering brother or sister, and then many are extended additional callings, ranging in time commitment and responsibility.

Callings can get a bad rap.

But every time we’ve moved to a new ward, I’ve eagerly volunteered, “Give me a calling as soon as you can!”

Because I love having something to do.

I love having a job, having responsibility, feeling ownership, feeling a sense of belonging, serving in some way.

This desire is what I immediately thought of when I read the beautiful patriarchal blessings that Father Israel gave to Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

He gave them blessings.

He taught them about their lineage.

He testified about God and His promises.

And then he tells Ephraim and Manasseh about their special calling:

“For thou shalt be a light unto my people, to deliver them in the days of their captivity, from bondage; and to bring salvation unto them, when they are altogether bowed down under sin.” (Genesis 48:11 JST)

These two men, and thus their posterity, were given some specific callings and assignments:

• to be a light to other people
• to deliver others from the captivity of sin
• to teach others about salvation

Extra responsibility.

Not just to be a burden for these two tribes of Israel.

But to give them something worthwhile to do.

To feel belonging and confidence before the Lord.

To grow in service and in love with all humankind.

It’s the calling given to those members of these tribes.

The calling has been extended, and it just needs to be accepted and fulfilled to the best of anyone’s ability.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Ephraim and Manasseh’s blessing first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I used to picture the Abrahamic covenant as some promise God made with Abraham a long long time ago.

And that’s it.

I know I’ve been told to study it and learn about it, but in my mind it was only to learn about history.

Here’s the cool realization I made, though!

Abraham’s covenant is not about him.

Yes, he’s the one being blessed, but what is the blessing all about?

Let’s see what we learn in Genesis 26:3-4, which is where the Abrahamic covenant is being extended now to his son, Isaac:

“I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries… And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.”

This blessing is about YOU! It is about ME!

We are the ones being blessed, across countries, and without number.

When we live a righteous and faith-filled life, we are being part of this covenant and we are being blessed.

And then we, in turn, become the ones who reach out and bless other people’s lives as we emulate Christ and share what we know.

This isn’t just a history lesson; we are the ones fulfilling the covenant!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post We are the blessing first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

So many times, a trial gets thrown my way, and I start to think, “What am I supposed to learn from this?”

There’s a part of me that thinks if I learn my lessons quickly enough, then the trial might end sooner.

But sometimes… the trial is just the worst.

It’s heavy. It’s no fun. There’s no end in sight.

And I can’t find even a shred of a lesson to be learned anywhere.

Except… just endure.

Several years ago, I endured a few months of a severe trial.

It was kicking my booty.

And then, the trial was over.

I felt so much better, lighter, more free…

But I still didn’t know what lesson I was supposed to learn from it.

I thought I would get clarity afterwards. But the trial just seemed dark still, even looking back.

Hmmmm. Maybe there wasn’t a lesson to learn other than that life is just hard sometimes.

One day, a friend called me and told me about her latest trial.

It was exactly what I had experienced.

I turned into full-on empathy mode. I told her to complain to me. I constantly checked in with her.

I told her that I knew this was the worst, and that there wasn’t much that was going to make it better and that I was so sorry.

And then I heard about someone else I didn’t know super well who was going through the same trial.

It felt a little awkward at first, but I knew I needed to reach out and lend an understanding listening ear.

Finally one evening, I reflected.

What if THAT was the blessing?

What if the blessing of my trial was the empathy that I gained for others? For the future acts of service I could perform because I perfectly understood how crushing it was to endure?

The Lord taught in D&C 103:12: “For after much tribulation… cometh the blessing.“

Sometimes the blessings are evident during the trial. Sometimes they are evident right afterwards.

But sometimes… sometimes it’s not until after.

Long after.

That we begin to see what the blessing might have been.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Where is the blessing? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.