Up the mountain with the thunder and the storm. ⁣

Days passed. ⁣

Weeks. ⁣

Moses was nowhere to be found. ⁣

Slowly, panic replaced faith amongst the Israelites. ⁣

“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods”. (Exodus 32:1)⁣

And in their panic, they turned to the worship of something that was familiar to them, more concrete, unchanging and easy to understand. ⁣

(I know, a golden calf seems weird to us but it was a comfortable and logical move for them to make.)⁣

I’ve learned in my life that patience and faith in God are completely intertwined. ⁣

“When we exercise patience, our faith increases. As our faith increases, so does our joy.” —Elder Jeremy R. Jaggi⁣

Attending the temple hasn’t always made perfect sense to me. ⁣

After first receiving my endowment, there were a lot (A LOT) of things I was confused about. ⁣

But I had heard that the more often you go, the easier it is to gain a testimony of temple worship and work. ⁣

And I clung to that. ⁣

President Nelson even counseled that if we don’t yet love temple work, to go more often. ⁣

And slowly but surely, trip after trip, drop by drop, I’ve learned to love attending the temple. I’ve learned, I’ve worshipped, I’ve served, I’ve received priceless revelation. ⁣

But it took a lot of patience. And waiting. ⁣

AND it took faith in God in waiting for the answer and the testimony to come. ⁣

I can think of so many more examples of this in my life with the law of tithing, keeping the Sabbath holy, fasting, following the prophet…⁣

Patience in God’s timing and in His laws and principles takes a whole lot of faith. ⁣

Faith that He will actually reveal truths, or fulfill promises, or give us a testimony, or keep His covenants. ⁣

But keeping that faith while I wait has always resulted in long-term joy.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post A golden calf?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Because there was someone who experienced almost everything in His mortal ministry alone. ⁣

It’s so easy to picture Jesus as a man who always had a smile on His face, surrounded by people. ⁣

But He was also very misunderstood, even in His lifetime, right?!⁣

Even His closest friends and dearest apostles didn’t fully understand what He was doing or what He could do. ⁣

When I feel all alone, this is my comfort to turn to:⁣

“I have trodden the wine-press alone, and have brought judgment upon all people; and none were with me.” (D&C 133:50⁣)

He knows true loneliness. ⁣

And He endured it so that He could comfort us. ⁣

Life can be very lonely sometimes. ⁣

When there’s no one to relate to, or a friend who forgets something important, or kids who get sick and make you miss an event…

It’s okay to feel lonely. ⁣

But we don’t ever have to actually be alone, because Christ knows exactly what this feels like. ⁣

He is always near me, though I do not see Him there.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Am I doing enough?⁣

Where is my standing with God?⁣

I think about these questions a lot.⁣

Actually, I think about them a little bit less now than I used to. But they are still there. ⁣

When I look around at a messy home and a kid climbs on top of me even when I’ve asked them not to and my to-do list is longer than ever, I wonder if I’m doing well enough. ⁣

But something else I’ve noticed about these moments?⁣

I’m in self-pity. ⁣

And I’m NOT listening to the Spirit. ⁣

I’m thinking of all the ways that I’m falling short. ⁣

And I’m not trying to connect with the Divine, show gratitude, love, and grow. ⁣

On the flip side, those moments when I’m really in tune with the Spirit…⁣

When I’m feeling love and prompting and clarity and guidance…⁣

I KNOW that I’m enough. ⁣

I know that where my heart is matters most, and that it is in a good place. ⁣

I know that I will keep needing my Savior. ⁣

So sometimes I need to hear:⁣

“Let your soul be at rest concerning your spiritual standing, and resist no more my voice.” (D&C 108:2⁣)

When I am resisting the Spirit, when I think I know more about my value and worth than He does, then I feel tied down and heavy. ⁣

And when I allow myself to be comforted by that still small voice, then I feel confidence and peace. ⁣

Let your soul be at rest. ⁣

Stop resisting the comforting voice of the Spirit. ⁣

You are doing just great.

“The only opinion of us that matters is what our Heavenly Father thinks of us. Please sincerely ask Him what He thinks of you. He will love and correct but never discourage us; that is Satan’s trick.” – J. Devn Cornish

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The Opinion That Matters  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

My roommates walked in with a slurpee and a soda for me to cheer me up. ⁣

But I wasn’t in the mood. ⁣

I was a grump for the next few days. ⁣

In my mind, my friends were asking too many questions and being too overwhelming. ⁣

I just wanted to be alone and deal with my emotions from the door that had just been shut in my life. ⁣

I kept being sad, and I didn’t want to stop. ⁣

I realized I didn’t want to be comforted yet. ⁣

A few days later, I started to see the light at the end of the tunnel. ⁣

NOW I was ready for comfort and support from friends and family. ⁣

Now I was ready for treats and parties and talking about it. ⁣

Now I was ready to pray for comfort and to turn to the scriptures. ⁣

I’ve learned that we have to be ready for comfort from others. ⁣

I’m sure that as soon as something heartbreaking and difficult happens in our lives, our Heavenly Father is ready to send His Spirit as a comforter. ⁣

Sometimes, we are ready right away and crave that comfort. ⁣

And other times, we need some space before we are really ready to accept that comfort. ⁣

“Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, LET your hearts be comforted”.⁣ (D&C 98:1)

We have a part to play in receiving comfort, in allowing our hearts to feel the comfort that God is willing to offer. ⁣

It’s okay if we aren’t ready yet. ⁣

But when we are, we can let our hearts feel the comfort that our kind Heavenly Father wishes to give to us.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post I wasn’t ready for comfort first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I had work to do like crazy, my house was a mess, and my kids needed a whole lot of attention. ⁣

Add to that the fact that between long work hours and church service, time with my husband was getting sparse, too. ⁣

I just felt a lot of concern. ⁣

And then I opened my Doctrine and Covenants to start studying section 100 in preparation for writing some posts and podcast episodes. ⁣

The very first verse pierced my heart. ⁣

“Your families are well; they are in mine hands”. (D&C 100:1⁣)

That line was meant for me, right there, right then. ⁣

Tears filled my eyes and I prayed for a little more understanding. ⁣

I felt peace. ⁣

I felt comfort. ⁣

I felt reassurance that we were doing good things and that this busy season would pass soon. ⁣

And then I sat in amazement. ⁣

For some reason, I was waiting for a prompting of something to change to make the situation better. ⁣

But instead, I just felt like I was being cheered on and comforted. ⁣

It was almost like a little tight squeeze. A little “it’s all going to be okay”.⁣

It wasn’t a solution to all my “problems”. Instead it was a comfort and a love that elevated me to handle the load a little bit better. ⁣

This verse might be totally insignificant to you right now, and that’s fine. ⁣

I’m sure I’ve read it before and never thought twice about it. ⁣

And that’s what I will forever love about the scriptures. ⁣

He speaks. The Spirit inspires. My God comforts. ⁣

In exactly the way I needed it on that day.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The verse I needed  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I quickly change into stretchy, cozy yoga pants.

I love being comfortable.

I heard someone say once that the biggest struggle of our day will be people getting too accustomed to being “comfortable.”

And I agree, cuz that’s my problem.

Compared to previous generations, we are able to make our lives so comfortable and easy.

And every day it seems like new inventions and services make life even easier and more comfortable.

I know that my Heavenly Father is a God of comfort.

I’ve gone to Him in desperate prayer when I have felt overwhelmed, sad, or unimportant, and He has always comforted me.

But… Heavenly Father is also a God of improvement.

He wants me to change and become better than I was yesterday.

And I know I won’t become more like my Savior by staying comfortable.

When speaking to Joseph, the Lord first comforted him, as He does so well:

“Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that at this time your sins are forgiven you.”

And then the Lord encouraged Joseph to grow:

“. . . but remember to sin no more, lest perils shall come upon you.” (D&C 29:3)

I’ve learned that the Lord will give us comfort exactly when we need it.

And He will also push us to grow exactly when we need, too.

Whether it’s with how we are partaking the sacrament, how we are saying our prayers, or how we are worshiping in the temple…

The Lord is the perfect comforter AND teacher.

“To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain.” – Richard G. Scott

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Stretchy yoga pants  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I went to my closet to get dressed. . .

And the blouse that I wanted was curled up in a ball on the floor, stinky, wrinkled beyond repair, and unwearable.

Panic set in.

In my mind this was a disaster.

I was nervous enough for the job interview, and now my planned outfit wasn’t going to work out?!

Immediately, I folded my arms and said a quick prayer. ⁣

I asked for comfort to calm my heart, and for me to figure out what to do next.

I looked at my closet, found a new shirt I felt confident about, and I was in my car just a few minutes later. ⁣

As I was driving to the interview, I was praying that I would interview well, that I would get the job if it was His will. . .

And then I laughed a bit. ⁣

Had I really just prayed about what shirt I was wearing?⁣!

This is my favorite thing that I’ve learned about my loving Father in Heaven:

There’s nothing too big AND nothing too small for Him to care about. ⁣

Alma testified, “I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind.” (Alma 36:27)

Every single kind of trouble.

He’ll support us through the heartbreaking tragedies. The big stuff.

But He’ll also support us when we can’t find the shirt we wanted to wear.

He’ll support us when we don’t know how to respond to some contention in our calling.

He’ll support us when we are sad to miss out on something we were excited for.

He’ll support us when we forget something that causes a little inconvenience.

God really will support us through every single kind of trial and trouble that we can have.

We just need to remember to actually turn to Him whenever any sort of trouble sets in.

If it matters to you, it matters to Him.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

“Now, after the people had all offered up thanks after this manner, they returned to their homes, never speaking of their God again until they had assembled themselves together again to the holy stand, to offer up thanks after their manner.” (Alma 31:23)

They may have thought:

A religion that takes over your whole life?!

Let’s just worry about it one day a week and forget about it for the rest. ⁣

Prayer that requires thought, mental devotion, and faith?!

Let’s just write a script so it’s easier.

⁣Worship that means becoming introspective, emotionally mature, and honest with ourselves?!

Let’s make that look a little cooler with a fun tower so everyone can see when we are being righteous!

But even today, where pretty much everything is more convenient than it was 2,000 years ago, we know that religion, at its core, is not meant to be convenient.

⁣Loving people is hard work. ⁣

Serving people is hard work. ⁣

Forgiving people is hard work. ⁣

There are no shortcuts. ⁣

And that’s the point.⁣

We are supposed to serve when it’s inconvenient, love when it’s difficult, and forgive when it stretches our souls.

That what our Savior has modeled for us, and that’s where change happens.

And as much as I like being comfortable, I want to be able to change over and over again.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post That looks like hard work  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Most modern inventions and advancements make life easier and more comfortable for everyone.

Handwashing all my laundry and riding horses everywhere sure seems like a lot of work.

I mean even just camping in cabins last week, I was reminded how easy my life is on a daily basis.

So what does this mean about my sins?

I’ve noticed that most of the sins and bad habits in my life are the ones that keep me feeling comfortable.

Even though this means they stop my growth.

So if I’m asked to repent and change, that can be a little scary.

Because that means I’m being asked to give up comfort.

I often have to step aside from a lifestyle that’s a little more comfortable and instead choose to do more work.

We might have to stay away from the tempting “comforts” of not needing to help others, keeping 100% of our income, or doing whatever we want on the Sabbath.

And yet, we are invited to, “. . .fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments.” (Alma 7:15)

We are invited to not have fear.

Jesus asks us to grow instead of being so focused on comfort.

It can be scary to give up a “comfortable” life, but it doesn’t have to be.

Because on the other side of that mortal “comfort” is pure love, joy, and true rest with our Savior.

“To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain.” —Richard G. Scott

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post My comfortable life first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I’m fine!

I can handle it!

Unfortunately, this habit also spills over to my prayers.

My brain thinks it is selfish to pray and ask for comfort.

It seems like such a frivolous thing to ask for.

I’m fine.

I can handle it.

And yet, I know that my Savior has said:

“I am he; yea, I am he that comforteth you.” (2 Nephi 8:12)  

He wants to comfort me!

He’s there with the offer.

And I don’t need to be perfect or totally righteous to ask for this peace and love.

…But I do need to ask.

Do we trust that the Lord can actually comfort us?

And do we trust that asking for comfort isn’t selfish?

Even more than a good friend, I’ve learned that Jesus knows I often need support and love.

I just need to know that I’m not alone.

I want to feel divine rest.

And I need to know that I will get through my rough times.

Our Savior knows our experiences and feelings perfectly.

And He wants to give us comfort, if we just remember to ask.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post I don’t need any help first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.