Joseph Smith had the most essential gift of the Spirit with him:⁣

“I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a summer’s morning;” (D&C 135:4⁣)

Abinadi. ⁣

Even Jesus Christ. ⁣

And I know there are others. ⁣

Beautiful examples of peace while heading toward certain death. ⁣

I most likely will not have to face this specific situation. ⁣

But something I CAN relate to?⁣

Calm even when everything from a mortal viewpoint is NOT going to be okay. ⁣

It takes a lot of faith. ⁣

It takes an eternal perspective. ⁣

It takes having the presence of the Holy Ghost. ⁣

It’s feeling peace even when other people think you should be falling apart. ⁣

But it also doesn’t mean needing to love the situation. ⁣

Joseph tried to escape as the mob attacked. ⁣

Abinadi kept preaching and trying to soften the hearts of his abusers. ⁣

Even the Savior asked if the cup could be removed from before Him. ⁣

It’s the moments when people say, “I’m so sorry. That sounds terrible.”⁣

And you say, “It has been really rough. But I’ve also surprisingly had these moments of peace that carry me through. I’ve felt so many blessings and so much strength while still having to endure this difficult circumstance.”⁣

Life is filled with rough mortal experiences. ⁣

And no amount of righteousness will ever excuse us from them. ⁣

But we can still endure and feel as calm as a summer’s morning.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Calm as a summer’s morning  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

And I had heard about Braxton hicks, or “false labor”.

How would I know the difference?!

I thought it would be so embarrassing to show up at the hospital thinking it was labor when it really was just a false alarm.

The advice I got from other moms?

“Oh, you’ll KNOW when it is real labor.”

But as I neared the end of my pregnancy, I didn’t know!

Every pain, every cramp, every movement had me concerned: Is this real labor?!

And then.. the real contractions started.

And oh boy, did I know that I was really, truly in labor.

We often hear Paul’s famous teaching that, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

But… fear is such a tricky emotion.

We feel fear and wonder: Is this fear I’m feeling a warning to stop?⁣

Is this fear a prompting?⁣

Does this fear mean I need to go do something?⁣

And sometimes the fears build on each other and become an anxiety, feeding each other and growing until they become too much to bear. ⁣

But I feel like Paul is saying, “Listen, you may be confused about whether or not it’s fear from your own mind or a prompting, but when God gives you a message, you will KNOW that it’s from Him.”

POWER. ⁣LOVE. ⁣A SOUND MIND. ⁣

God can absolutely warn us against dangerous things, He can still tell us to change, He can still tell us to go a different direction. ⁣

But the feeling will be empowering, full of love, and create the result of a sound mind. ⁣

We can get an urgent warning… but have a sound mind about it. ⁣

I know in my life, I always feel confused when I’m filled with fear. I don’t know what to do or where the thoughts are coming from. (Even though I technically know that fear isn’t from God.)⁣

But when I’m having a clear prompting, I feel power, love, and a sound mind. ⁣

No fear. ⁣

I’m grateful for a loving God who motivates and communicates with positive emotions.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Is this fear?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Joseph Smith had the most essential gift of the Spirit with him:

“I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a summer’s morning;” D&C 135:4

Abinadi.

Jesus Christ.

And I know there are others.

Beautiful examples of peace while heading toward certain death.

I most likely will not have to face this specific situation.

But something I CAN relate to?

Calm even when everything from a mortal viewpoint is NOT going to be okay.

It takes a lot of faith.

It takes an eternal perspective.

It takes having the presence of the Holy Ghost.

It’s feeling peace even when other people think you should be falling apart.

But it also doesn’t mean needing to love the situation.

Joseph tried to escape as the mob attacked.

Abinadi kept preaching and trying to soften the hearts of his abusers.

Even the Savior asked if the cup could be removed from before Him.

It’s the moments when people say, “I’m so sorry. That sounds terrible.”

And you say, “It has been really rough. But I’ve also surprisingly had these moments of peace that carry me through. I’ve felt so many blessings and so much strength while still having to endure this difficult circumstance.”

Life is filled with rough mortal experiences.

And no amount of righteousness will ever excuse us from them.

But we can still endure and feel as calm as a summer’s morning.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Calm as a summer’s morning first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.