(Also how the heck was that already four years ago?!)

I don’t think many people escaped that year without any “battle wounds”.

Whether emotional, social, or even physical, “hurt” was experienced by virtually everyone.

Here’s one of my absolute favorite observations Mormon makes in the entire Book of Mormon.

During the brutally long war between the Nephites and Lamanites, two interesting groups emerged:

“. . . many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility.” (Alma 62:41)

So, many hearts were softened.

And many hearts were hardened.

By the SAME EXACT EVENT.

Everyone experienced the same war, but there were different personal outcomes.

Isn’t that so true?

I believe that our agency and attitudes play a huge role in how our hearts react to events.

When reflecting on 2020 or any other major event in your life, have you felt your heart get a little harder or a little softer?

Have you empathized more or judged more?

Have you been a creator of joy and peace or of confusion and division?

And as life continues to be tough, divisive, and frustrating, how do we continually choose to react?

“Do not let unfairness harden you or corrode your faith in God…. Rather than becoming bitter, let Him help you become better.” – Dale G. Renlund

The outside circumstances don’t matter nearly as much as how our hearts choose to respond.

And when we choose humility, meekness, and Jesus Christ, we can let even the hardest of situations soften our hearts.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Harden or soften? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Growing up, we are taught about the right thing to do and the wrong thing to do.

That’s what I’m teaching my little kids right now.

But somewhere along the way, I realized life is a whole lot messier than that.

Whether or not we serve others, attend the temple, or choose to be a good spouse are crazy complicated questions that have entire spectrums of choices we get to make each day!

Like… there are a lot of options for every single little thing.

In D&C 29:35, the Lord teaches:

“Behold, I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself” (meaning Adam).

Agency is the power that we have to become whoever we want to be.

In the million degrees of every aspect of life, we get to choose and work toward where we want to be.

How service-oriented, how kind, how educated, how devoted to a calling, how temple-loving, how patient…

We get to choose.

Not so much in a “big picture” kind of way (because I would totally choose to be awesome at every single one of those and more!)

But in the day-to-day interactions.

How much am I going to push, to get outside my comfort zone, to decide to become a little bit better person instead of staying as who I am?

That’s the real test of agency.

I can only imagine our Heavenly Parents watching us and seeing opportunity after opportunity pass by, and then cheering when we decide to move a step forward that day.

We aren’t going to reach the “best” in every area, or even come close.

But we can decide to use our agency to move that need forward just a tick every single day.

Agency is so important to our Heavenly Father that He allows so many people to use it terribly each and every day.

It is so so so important that we all choose exactly who we want to be.

So who am I choosing to be today? Where are my priorities and my heart?

Do I like the person I’m choosing to be?

Because agency gives me the power to become whoever I’d like to become.

And… I think I’d like to become just like my Savior.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The overwhelm of agency first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.