In fact there are many days where she is the one to remind us to do it before she goes to bed!

Just last night, we were reading about Jesus appearing to the Nephites, and she stopped and said, “Mommy, Jesus was really happy and really nice.”

So sweet.

And then we knelt down to pray, and after months and months of family prayers where she runs around and jumps on the beanbag and talks while we are trying to get her to stay reverent and still…

She closed her eyes the entire time. (I may have peeked while my husband was praying a few times because I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing! Whoops.)

She was reverent and stayed on her knees, not moving a muscle during the prayer, and then gave me a big hug before going upstairs with daddy.

And my heart was filled with joy.

2-year-olds are often a lot of work. Frustrating. Impatient. Constantly in need.

But other times, I catch a glimpse of her pure and powerful Spirit.

She’s a real person. She’s got a full mortal life and a spiritual forever ahead of her.

And although she needs to mature developmentally…

She has faith now.

She has pure, simple faith, without a touch of Satan’s pull.

And I think that’s why Christ wept when he was with the little children.

His joy was full because of their great faith.

President Henry B. Eyring once shared that he felt frustrated with a son who was jumping on the bed.

He grabbed his son by his shoulders, and immediately the Spirit spoke to him:

“You are holding a great person.”

Children are not easy to raise. They are not always obedient, kind, and willing to share. They are not perfect in that sense.

But they are perfect in their faith.

It is unwavering. It is pure.

And that is what filled Christ with such joy that he wept.

I like to reflect on whether or not I’ve lost that Christlike faith. If I’ve become just a touch too cynical or conditional.

I want my faith to become more childlike and pure, so that I can make my Savior’s joy full.

Artwork by Gary L. Kapp

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Behold your little ones first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

As the crowds that she called for gathered round the fallen King, Queen, Ammon, and servants, they all started to argue.

Everyone had an opinion for what caused this group to lay there as if dead.
And the opinions started to get more and more heated.

Abish had worked so hard to gather this large crowd together, sure that this would finally convert them all to the Savior who she knew so well.

This was going to be it!

And instead, it had turned into a mob of chaos, confusion, and blame.

She was sad. And frustrated. And overwhelmed.

And so she stood there and cried.

She cried.

And then thought of one thing she could do.

She went to her friend, the Queen, and took her by the hand.

And it worked.

The Queen bore powerful and joyful testimony, raised her husband, and he calmed the crowd.

I remember in a job interview for a work-at-home position, I was asked what I would do if I had a work deadline to meet, but then I had to spend all day at an unexpected doctors appointment with my kid.

I responded: “I would probably cry. And then get to work.”

Sometimes, you just gotta cry.

Life is weird. And crazy. And frustrating. And blah for no reason. And tiring.

There’s chaos and contention.

And there’s no shame in a good cry.

But then, we have to pick ourselves up, and get to work.

We have to figure out that next step, and take it, trusting that the rest of the steps will appear afterwards.

God doesn’t want us to just feel happy all the time. In fact, we read in the scriptures many times that God Himself feels emotions other than happiness.

But He does expect us to try to take a step forward.

And that’s where the miracles happen.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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