When the bishop extended the call to my husband and me, I honestly didn’t even know what that calling meant.

Pretty soon, the ward mission leader contacted us and asked us to come to a bimonthly meeting with the missionaries, followed by visiting members of the ward.

I diligently attended the meeting the first few times…

But soon, there was always a good excuse not to go to these meetings when they came around.

I mean, I had a busy life!

I remember thinking, “I know I’m not fulfilling my calling the best I can right now, but if I had a different, bigger calling, I would do better.”

I eventually realized I would never magically “do better” if I had more to do.

Heavenly Father wanted me to give my best no matter the calling.

As soon as I humbled myself and recommitted to my calling, I received a new one.

“And when he shall prove himself faithful in all things that shall be entrusted unto his care, yea, even a few things, he shall be made ruler over many.” (D&C 124:113)

Do we sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that we would be better off if we had something “more important” to do?

The Lord asks us to show that we can be faithful with just a few things first.

Whether it’s starting a small family scripture study habit, saying personal prayers for just a minute, or saying hi to someone new, we can show our diligence in small and simple tasks.

He’s not expecting perfection.

But He is asking us to be filled with faith as we continue to try our best.

“Wake up and do something more than dream of your mansions above!”

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Waiting for bigger calling  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

They were well-meaning saints who gathered together weekly and had copies of the Book of Mormon, but Warren recognized that his congregation needed someone with some greater priesthood authority and direction to assist them in Freedom, New York. ⁣

He wrote a letter to his brother Oliver’s good friend Joseph Smith asking for him to send someone with greater priesthood authority out to visit their branch.

I imagine Warren was excited to get someone to lead them. ⁣

Wouldn’t it be so nice to have someone step up and take charge?⁣

Someone who actually knew what they were doing?⁣

Warren had been familiar with the church since his brother had first met up with Joseph a few years earlier. ⁣

But Warren himself had only been converted and baptized for less than a year. ⁣

Finally, Joseph wrote a letter back to Warren! ⁣

“It is my will that my servant Warren A. Cowdery should be appointed and ordained a presiding high priest over my church, in the land of Freedom and the regions round about;” (D&C 106:1)

Wait, what?⁣

Doesn’t Warren’s story sound familiar? ⁣

Sometimes we see the need. ⁣

It is so glaringly obvious. ⁣

Someone needs to step up and do something about that. ⁣

And then…⁣

We are the ones called to fill that position. ⁣

Or, we realize on our own that WE could be the one to step up and be the solution. ⁣

It’s a lot easier to notice what’s wrong and wait for someone else to solve the problems we see. ⁣

“If only someone would fix that bulletin board!”⁣

“If only someone would help that lady!”⁣

“If only someone would start a fun hangout group!”⁣

“If only someone would start advocating for that cause more!”⁣

But what if… we were the person we were waiting for?⁣

We can see a need, and we can be the one to step up.

“Heavenly Father may have placed those who need us closest to us, knowing that we are best suited to meet their needs.” – Bonnie L. Oscarson

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Waiting for Someone to Help first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

This couple was amazing!

They guest-taught Sunday School lessons.

They hosted youth activities.

They made ward and individual goals.

They did home visits.

They helped me learn how to do family history work, and I took my own family names to the temple for the first time.

It was really cool.

I was so impressed by how they chose to take a calling that others could perceive as small, insignificant, or unnecessary and magnify it using their unique talents and strengths.

What callings do you have right now?

Official ward callings are great but also think about your callings as a ministering brother or sister, parent, teacher, sibling, honorary grandma, spouse, or organizer.

The Lord taught:

“Thou shalt magnify thine office, and push many people to Zion with songs of everlasting joy upon their heads.” (D&C 66:11) 

Creation isn’t just for artists, writers, and musicians.

We all get to create when we figure out exactly how we will fill the roles we have, the callings we’ve been given, and the assignments we receive.

Just like things grow larger when they are magnified…

We can grow and create when we magnify our roles.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

“But you are being called because the Lord knows you are willing to serve. And He loves to call people who have a desire serve.”⁣

I’ll never forget when the member of the Stake presidency said this to my husband.

There was no pretentiousness. ⁣

No holier-than-thou back-patting for his new calling. ⁣

It was just -⁣

You have a desire to serve.

The Lord needs someone who is willing to serve. ⁣

So let’s have you serve in this certain capacity for a while. ⁣

Such a cool way to look at callings, right?⁣

We have to accept a calling, meaning we have to signify that we are willing.⁣

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be unto you; and if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation.” (D&C 6:8)

But what about when we don’t have an official calling? Or we want something more than what we’ve been assigned?

If we desire, we can be the means of doing much good in this generation. ⁣

We can talk with God. ⁣

And figure out what we can do.

And let’s be real— our calling can sometimes seem so unimportant. ⁣

So ordinary. ⁣

So mundane. ⁣

Because we don’t see the way God sees. ⁣

The act of service that your little kid will never remember is adding more love into the world and making their life more peaceful. ⁣

The little moment of patience just taught a future leader how to problem-solve on their own. ⁣

The text you sent to a friend that led to a short, unimportant conversation answered their prayers in a way you will never understand.⁣

If we have desires,⁣

If we are willing,⁣

The Lord will use us to accomplish much good. ⁣

So much good. ⁣

And sometimes we have no clue how much good we are creating. ⁣

Only God knows all of it. ⁣

But if we have desires, and we do the best we can, we will put so much good into the world.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post No pretentiousness first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Wasn’t making me a more Christlike person at all.

I had a really poor attitude about this particular calling.

I mean, I actually performed my duties very well.

I was on the ball.

I probably looked like I was “fulfilling my calling” perfectly from the outside.

But on the inside?

I felt resentful, annoyed, and prideful.

Months went by.

At our next stake conference, someone gave a simple talk about serving with “real intent” in our hearts.

Mormon actually summed up this lesson when he said, “. . . except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing.” (Moroni 7:6)

As I listened to this random talk at a stake conference, I felt personally called out by the Spirit.

I knew that if I changed my attitude and tried to have real intent in my calling, I could be uplifted by it.

I worked really hard to have a change of heart.

My calling did not change—

In fact, I kept it for another year.

But it worked!

Slowly but surely, fulfilling my calling became a source of joy, connection, love, and overwhelming experiences with the Spirit.

It took hard work.

But switching from being resentful to trying to serve the Lord with “real intent” completely changed my outlook on service in the Church.

“When we recognize God’s hand in our calling and serve with all our hearts, additional power comes into our service, and we become true servants of Jesus Christ.” – Carl B. Cook

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post I was a grouch first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

For some reason, we started talking about different callings in the church. ⁣

I felt like I should ask him what his favorite calling had ever been. ⁣

This is a man who had been a mission president in Romania, a branch president at the MTC, a bishop, and pretty much every other “prestigious” calling in the book. ⁣

He thought about my question for a while. ⁣

I was pretty sure he would say mission president.

But then he said his favorite calling was being a ward Sunday School teacher. ⁣

He said that he loved just discussing the gospel with other people. ⁣

That conversation has always stayed with me.

Because to me, he had served in so many “important callings”…

And yet the one that he picked seemed so mundane. ⁣

But my grandpa also really loved the gospel. ⁣

I think he understood that the “prestige” of his callings didn’t really matter.

They didn’t make him any better than anyone else. ⁣

At the end of the day, he loved teaching the gospel and listening to the gospel being taught. ⁣

I love the beautiful, cyclical nature of callings in the church. ⁣

We get taught lessons by new converts, by young moms, by former stake presidents…

And there’s always something to learn!⁣

I love this commentary from Alma chapter 1:

“And when the priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left their labors to hear the word of God.

“And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again diligently unto their labors;

“and the priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner;

“and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength.” (Alma 1:26)

It’s a beautiful reminder that in this church, none of us is greater than the other. ⁣

Unlike other establishments where people seek power or high ranks or to “move up the ladder”, we get the cool opportunity to serve other people in different ways at different times. ⁣

And when pride or jealousy start to creep in, those are great reminders to keep in perspective. ⁣

Every “calling” in this church is temporary.

None of them dictate how much value we hold.

All of them give us opportunities to serve and become a little better.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post My grandpa’s favorite calling first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

And I’ve been a presidency member who seeks revelation, takes initiative, and connects with the people I serve.⁣

I’ve been a Ward Choir Director who waits for someone else to tell me what to do and when.

And I’ve been a Ward Choir Director who makes decisions through the Spirit, gets approval from certain leaders, and moves forward with confidence and authority.⁣

I’ve been a teacher who prepares my lesson, comes to church, and teaches it.

And I’ve been a teacher who gets to know the youth that I teach, tailors lessons to their needs, and follows the Spirit with how to conduct my classes.⁣

Why does it matter if I’m the former or the latter example for each calling?⁣

Absolutely, connecting with others and building up my ward family is so important.⁣

But honestly, if my Heavenly Father needs to get a message to a teen sitting in my class, and I’m not accessing the Spirit and authority that I have, He will just find someone else to deliver the message who is more in-tune.⁣

(I mean, I really want to make sure I can do my best to be that person, but God can make anything happen whether or not I’m engaged.)

At the end of the day, my church callings are about my Heavenly Father and me.⁣

“And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility” (Jacob 1:19)

Am I going to learn, as Jacob teaches, how to magnify and take responsibility?⁣

Am I going to learn that when I am set apart for a calling, I am given priesthood authority to act?⁣

Am I going to learn that I can ALWAYS choose to be Christlike, no matter the limitations or imperfect people I face?⁣

The lessons I can learn are endless.⁣

And sometimes, the lesson is that it’s okay to scale back and simplify.

When I look at church callings through the lens of my personal relationship with my Savior, I keep everything in perspective a little better.

The frustrations, limitations and exhaustion don’t matter as much.

And whenever I become more Christlike, I am magnifying my calling, no matter what it may, or may not, be.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Magnify it!  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

A few years ago, EVERYONE knew who our family history consultants were.

They were amazing.

They came in and taught Sunday School lessons, hosted youth activities, made goals, and did home visits.

I did family history work, and took my own names to the temple.

It was awesome.

Our consultants especially impressed me because that calling is a pretty vague one. Not every ward even has them, and I don’t think I could have told you who held that calling previously. Not that that’s a bad thing.

But I was just so impressed by how they chose to magnify a calling that could be perceived by others as small, insignificant, or unnecessary.

They made it large by using their unique talents and strengths.

What callings do you have right now?

Sure, what calling do you have at church.

But also, what other callings do you have?

A mom, a teacher, a parent, a ministering sister, an actual sister, an honorary grandma, a leader, a spouse, a child, an organizer…

I was shocked (okay but kinda really) when I took my first baby girl home from the hospital that there was no handbook on how to be a mom.

I get to just… figure it out.

But I feel this motivation to not just “figure out” how to be a mom, but to instead MAGNIFY that calling.

How to think for myself and create the best “mom” that I can with my personal talents and strengths.

I think about my Savior.

I don’t think there was an exact blueprint that His life here on earth had to follow.

Instead… He just went about doing good in quiet but powerful ways.

He created how He would fill the calling of the Savior by using His kind and eternal talents and strengths.

Creation isn’t just for artists, writers, and musicians.

We all get to create.

We get to create exactly how we are going to fill the roles that we have. The callings we’ve been given. The assignments we receive.

We get to magnify what we’ve been given to create even more.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Magnify with your talents first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.