And I used to LOVE Sundays.

I loved feeling refreshed and renewed and connected to Jesus. I loved learning and being social with my ward family. ⁣

But having a husband with a super busy calling, having two very young kids, and being pregnant with my third added up to lots of rough Sundays. ⁣

Each Sabbath ended up being exhausting, pretty lonely, and not quite as spiritually rejuvenating as I would like. ⁣

It was hard to see the blessings of the Sabbath. ⁣

One exhausted Sunday, I tried asking for help in prayer specifically about seeing blessings. ⁣

I needed a lot of help seeing where the hand of God was on Sundays. ⁣

And this is exactly what happened:

“I witness that Jesus Christ loves us and can give us eyes to see—even when it’s hard, even when we’re tired, even when we’re lonely, and even when the outcomes are not as we hoped.” -Michelle D. Craig⁣

I asked for the eyes that could see the hand of the Lord, and I was given them. ⁣

I mean, I was still tired. Still by myself a lot. Still exhausted. ⁣

But I was also blown away by the little blessings that were absolutely everywhere. Making life just a bit easier. Helping me to still feel love. Giving me opportunities to connect and serve. ⁣

“Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them”. (Exodus 8:19) ⁣

Pharaoh’s priests decided to see the hand of God in the miracles that Moses and Aaron performed. ⁣

And Pharaoh decided to harden his heart and not see any evidence of the Lord. ⁣

It’s not always easy. I can attest to that. ⁣

But the Savior wants to give us eyes to see the hand of God in our lives, no matter what our circumstances are. ⁣

Because His power and influence and miracles are truly everywhere.

We just have to be willing and humble enough to look.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Difficult Sundays  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

You know, that one they did at Stanford years ago where they placed a marshmallow in front of a kid and told them that if they didn’t eat it before the adult returned, they would get two marshmallows. ⁣

(For the record, my mom always said that I was the type of kid who would have waited for the two marshmallows, even from a super young age.)⁣

As I’ve studied about the famous covenant that God makes with Abraham, one thing that really caught my eye is that so many of the blessings of this covenant are for AFTER Abraham’s lifetime! ⁣

The Lord makes promises that Abraham’s seed will know God, and that “unto thy seed have I given this land”. (Genesis 15:18)⁣

His seed were promised land and great spiritual blessings, but most of this would not be during Abraham’s lifetime. ⁣

And yet Abraham still rejoiced in this covenant! ⁣

Not all of our covenant blessings are going to be fulfilled while we are here on the earth. ⁣

Some will, just like Abraham was still given a firstborn son. And certain covenants, such as our baptismal promises to always have His spirit to be with us, are being fulfilled constantly here on earth. ⁣

But there’s also a huge portion of our “reward” that we can barely even imagine right now. ⁣

Promises for our future posterity that won’t be fulfilled until after this life. ⁣

Promises about our own future that won’t be fulfilled until the eternities. ⁣

⁣Blessings of peace and rest that we can get glimpses of now, but that might not be fully realized until much later.

There is so, so, so much good that God gives us right now on the earth. ⁣

It’s like He is giving us one marshmallow and telling us we can enjoy it now. ⁣

But there is also another marshmallow waiting on the other side. ⁣

Probably a million more marshmallows, actually. ⁣

So are we willing to be patient? To look for the blessings filling our life now, but also to expect so much more in the future?⁣

Covenants are powerful and binding and real, and we can count on God to pour out the blessings when we fulfill our portion, even if that means practicing some delayed gratification. ⁣

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Covenants and marshmallows first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

When I looked at it, I thought, woah, I looked really different then.

Bodies are so interesting from an earthly perspective, because there is so much pressure, especially for women, to constantly be losing weight, “getting your body back”, or fitting into old jeans or dresses. ⁣

But from an eternal perspective, bodies take on a whole new meaning. ⁣

We agreed to come to earth, to deal with the terrible trials and heartaches we knew we would face, all to get a body (and everything that accompanies obtaining a body).⁣

And those spirits who chose Lucifer’s plan instead?⁣

Their PUNISHMENT was to never receive a body. ⁣

Your skin, your heart, your bones, your muscles, your blood… ⁣

They aren’t punishments.

Your body is one of the biggest blessings and gifts you’ve been given. ⁣

And when we have to leave this life and are separated from our bodies again? ⁣

I think we’ll miss them. ⁣

Until:⁣

“Their sleeping dust was to be restored unto its perfect frame, bone to his bone, and the sinews and the flesh upon them, the spirit and the body to be united never again to be divided, that they might receive a fulness of joy.” (D&C 138:17⁣)

Being reunited with our beautiful bodies will allow us to receive a fullness of joy. ⁣

Sure, bodies aren’t always totally awesome. ⁣They can cause us grief, or something can go terribly wrong.

But we can still feel gratitude for what’s going right.

And our bodies will be “perfected” when we are reunited with them again.⁣

But what our bodies look like or what size we wear is so far from the point in the eternal scheme of things. ⁣

What our bodies do, what our bodies allow us to experience, from emotions, to service, to fun, to breathing, to learning, to worship, and everything between…⁣

Getting the opportunity to do these things in a body, created by God, allows us to experience joy here on earth, and obtain a fullness of joy in the world to come.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Our bodies  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

When it was finally bedtime, I walked into my room and pulled out my scriptures.

I was exhausted.

But knew I needed the blessings of scripture study more than ever.

As I took a deep breath and started to read, I knew I could expect peace and inspiration.

I find this promise so reassuring:

“When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” (D&C 130:21)

I remember someone once telling me that we shouldn’t want to do good things and become good people only because of the blessings.

I agree 100%.

Obeying because we love the Lord and desire to become like Him is the best motivation!

But sometimes… life is rough.

And I think it’s okay to want blessings.

I knew God wouldn’t take away all my trials as soon as I read my scriptures that evening.

But I was focused on the blessings I knew God could provide through His holy word.

And guess what?

I did feel peace and inspiration.

My problems were still there, but God blessed me with a calming perspective.

We should absolutely want to obey the commandments because we love God and want to become more like Him.

But, on the off chance that you also need some blessings right now…

It’s always good to add a booster of obedience into our lives.

“Obedience makes us progressively stronger, capable of faithfully enduring tests and trials in the future.” – Robert D. Hales

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Why did I obey? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Cramped conditions. ⁣

In a jail. ⁣

Terrible food. ⁣

Poor lighting. ⁣

Freezing cold. ⁣

Isn’t it tempting to consider our outside circumstances as a sign of how we are doing in life?⁣

“How are you doing right now?”⁣

“Terribly. Because of all these things that are going wrong…”⁣

But Elder Cook made a wise assessment: 

“Joseph’s time in Liberty Jail demonstrates that adversity is not evidence of the Lord’s disfavor nor a withdrawal of His blessings.”⁣

If we look at the physical trajectory of Joseph’s life, it doesn’t really look awesome. ⁣

A humble farmer boy. A poor young couple, accepting financial support from others. Moving to Ohio and getting a little more established. Being beat up by a mob. Reputation ruined by false rumors. Serious financial distress. Forced to move to Missouri with a hopeful promise for the future. Hope quickly being turned to conflict and fear. Arrested and stuck in a miserable jail for months. ⁣

This trajectory looks terrible, honestly. ⁣

But as with virtually everything, the Lord looks on the heart. ⁣

What was the trajectory of Joseph’s heart throughout his life?⁣

Consistent spiritual enlightenment. Moments with the Divine. Priesthood power. Peace and certainty. Forgiveness and meekness. A growing love and concern for all. Teaching others and sharing his light. Inspired scriptures that have touched millions. Peace and comfort found in a miserable little jail cell. ⁣

Our physical circumstances have virtually no indication of how blessed we are. ⁣

It’s all about the status of the heart. ⁣

Has your heart been growing, softening, turning to the Lord throughout your life?⁣

Then I might humbly suggest that you are living a very blessed life indeed, just like the prophet Joseph.

⁣Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Joseph’s terrible trajectory first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Deciding to focus on your love for the Savior during the Sabbath day means you will be blessed with a stronger relationship with Jesus.

I love it when blessings look a lot like natural consequences of our choices.

God has set up a beautiful system where some commandments lead to specific blessings.

The very end of section 89 has some of the most beautiful and real blessings I’ve seen in all of the Doctrine and Covenants. ⁣

Read through these four verses and let me know which phrase stands out to you the most:⁣

“And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;⁣

“And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;⁣

“And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.⁣

“And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.” ⁣(D&C 89:18-21⁣)

Aren’t those beautiful blessings and promises?! ⁣

Powerful, specific protections are promised us as we “keep and do these sayings” in section 89. ⁣

One thing I’ve discovered is that when I am choosing foods that are really nourishing for my body, I feel more alert in my mind. ⁣

That wisdom, that knowledge, it comes much more easily. ⁣

I also recognize that following the direction in section 89 doesn’t mean you’ll be immune from health problems your entire life. ⁣

But that doesn’t negate the real, tangible blessings that come from obeying the Word of Wisdom. ⁣

I want to keep the Word of Wisdom even better than I am now. ⁣

Not because I love keeping lots of rules. ⁣

But because I have a testimony that there are promised blessings waiting in store for me when I obey the laws on which those blessings are predicated. ⁣

What blessings have you seen in your life from obeying the counsel found in section 89? What promise stood out to you from reading section 89?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Word of Wisdom first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Because sometimes, His path for my life and His blessings just seem completely out of left field. ⁣

Right out of BYU, I thought I had this one teaching job in the bag. ⁣

I loved the job, I wanted it, and I knew the staff and principal liked me. ⁣

And then I found out that I didn’t get the job due to some unforeseen complications. ⁣

I was devastated. ⁣

And I was humbled. ⁣

Instead of relying on my networking to get me a job, I had to turn to cold interviews. ⁣

My humility was through the roof. I was relying on God like I hadn’t in a long time. I was praying constantly. I was turning my will over to His. ⁣

And then, suddenly, a random recommendation, an interview, and a job offer that changed my life for the better. ⁣

Out of left field. ⁣

But the miracle came because I had humbled myself. ⁣

I think about young Joseph, who had been so excited after the First Vision. He was ready to learn about this new church!⁣

But after three years, his heart was growing weary. He felt weak and unclean from sins. ⁣

So he went to his knees in humility, wanting to repent and turn his heart back to God.⁣

“While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in my room”. (JS-H 1:30)

I can almost guarantee he wasn’t expecting an ancient prophet from a forgotten civilization showing up in his bedroom and telling him about gold plates buried in a hill three miles away!⁣

But that was exactly the unexpected miracle that Joseph, and all mankind, needed. ⁣

Miracles happen. Unexpected miracles happen. Completely unexpected and unlikely miracles happen. ⁣

But the first requirement that I’ve seen over and over?⁣

Humility.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Out of left field first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Does anyone else feel like they need that reminder every week or so?! ⁣

We love preaching that righteousness = blessings. ⁣

But then we sometimes get a false sense of what those blessings are. ⁣

If you are righteous, you are not promised freedom from financial issues. ⁣

If you are righteous, your spouse can still make a terrible decision.

If you are righteous, you can still lose your job. ⁣

If you are righteous, you can have a lot of people really angry at you. ⁣

If you are righteous, you can still feel really disappointed by others’ actions. ⁣

If you are righteous, you might not look the way you want to look. ⁣

If you are righteous, you can totally fail a test. ⁣

If you are righteous, you can still be dramatically harmed by other people. ⁣

If you are righteous, you can still be diagnosed with a terrible illness. ⁣

So… why am I choosing to be righteous?!⁣

Because of the real blessings that we are promised. ⁣

Because of the peace. ⁣

The inner joy. ⁣

Because of Jesus Christ. 

The confidence before the Lord. ⁣

And unimaginable and innumerable blessings for the eternities. ⁣

Because I love my Savior and my Heavenly Parents, and I want to keep the commandments that I have been given. ⁣

But sometimes I need to have that reframe. ⁣

I AM grateful for all of my outward blessings.

I am filled with gratitude when I look at my living situation, my loved ones, my health, my opportunities. ⁣

But really, all of those could be taken away. ⁣

I could be living in a cave, completely alone for the rest of my life. ⁣

And I could still give thanks.

“Great and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether; but they esteemed him as naught, and cast him out; and he hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people.” (Ether 13:13)

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Could I still give thanks?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Martha welcomed Jesus into her home and was “cumbered about much serving”.

She was doing fantastic acts of service. ⁣

And then there was her sister, Mary.

Mary was just sitting there at the Lord’s feet, listening to Him. ⁣

So Martha got a little frustrated that she was the only one doing any work.

She requested the Savior to dismiss her sister so that she could help with all the things that needed to get done.

“And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful.”⁣ (Luke 10:41-42)

Are we “careful and troubled” about the wrong things?⁣

There are so so SO many little things to worry about.

And as a problem-solver, I like to focus on the problems.

Think about the problem, talk about the problem, and try to solve it.

And honestly it’s not bad.

I like being the problem-solver.

But do you know what naturally takes up a lot of my brain when I focus on problems?

The problems, of course.

You know what I’ve tried to do more lately?

NOT trying to solve problems.

Turning off the parenting podcasts and unfollowing that news analysis account. Stopping talking about everything that’s going wrong.

And instead, focusing on Jesus and my blessings.

THAT’S what I want taking up most of my brain space.

THAT’S what I want my mind to ponder about in quiet moments.

Jesus. His goodness. His teachings. And what that means for me.

And trying to do this more has actually been the best problem-solving I’ve ever done.

Because suddenly all those little problems don’t really matter anymore.

And the big ones that are left don’t seem quite so daunting.

I’ve got Jesus to help me. So I’m going to try to stay by His side and trust with all my heart that He is the real answer to every problem.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post So focused on Jesus first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Matthew 13:12 confused me at first when I read it.

Does this seem fair?!

“For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath”.

Those that have more are given more?

And those that have less lose what they have?⁣

It really does not seem fair or kind or loving.

But as I continued studying it, I realized that I think these are natural consequences.

When we “have more” faith,

more of the spirit’s presence in our lives,

more Christlike attributes,

or more gospel study…

We naturally “get more.”

We get more out of our study of parables,

more opportunities to serve,

more spiritual promptings,

and more familiar with the scriptures. ⁣

And the opposite is naturally true too.

If we don’t have faith, don’t make time to study the scriptures, or don’t keep the commandments to have the spirit with us…

Then we naturally lose opportunities to serve, lose spiritual promptings, and lose gospel knowledge. ⁣

These blessings and knowledge aren’t just being given to us or taken away from us by supreme beings who want to reward and punish us for fun.

These blessings and knowledge are naturally given or taken away based on our choices and actions.

I think it actually makes perfect sense!⁣

In fact, Joseph Smith’s translation of this verse reads:

“For whosoever RECEIVETH, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever CONTINUETH NOT TO RECEIVE, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.” (Matthew 13:12, JST)

We decide if we receive or not.

So if we have more, we get more.

What are you trying to “have more” of today?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Have more, get more first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.