I was weirdly shocked by just how dark it was.

Outside, inside…

Everything just seemed eerily quiet and dark.

We turned on the flashlights from our phones and were surprised at how well we could see with just this small light source.

And then, finally, the power came back on.

From a scientific standpoint…

Darkness isn’t real.

There are varying degrees of light or an absence of light.

But there is no darkness.

And light cannot be hidden in darkness.

There is no such thing as “too much darkness that drowns out a light.”

What a powerful metaphorical reminder about our most powerful and only essential light source, our Savior Jesus Christ.

”Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who created the heavens and the earth, a light which cannot be hid in darkness.” (D&C 14:9)

There will never be “too much darkness” in the world for Him to overcome.

And when we try to shine as much of Christ’s light out to others as we can, we can be sure that we are making a difference.

We may envision ourselves being a bright sun, sharing light with so many around us.

But most often I feel like a little cell phone flashlight in a giant, dark house.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that though.

Because I don’t think that Christ would say that is “not enough light.”

Any amount of light will conquer any amount of darkness.

Anywhere that there is an absence of Christ…

Then any amount of His presence makes all the difference.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Too much darkness  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Before Joseph could experience the light, darkness gathered around him.

Evil darkness.

He couldn’t speak.

He was in total despair.

It was a power he had never felt before, and he knew it wanted to destroy him.

And then, there was suddenly light and glory!

Two heavenly Beings appeared.

“One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (JSH 1:17)

When I read this verse, I usually focus on the final two words:

“Hear Him!”

It is essential for each of us to figure out how to hear our own personal messages from God on a daily basis.

But I also can’t help but notice that dramatic contrast.

Joseph didn’t just have a pleasant experience and learn how to hear the Lord.

Joseph was saved from the destructive darkness first.

And then he could hear Him.

Learning to truly hear our Savior is an important skill to have at any time, but it is especially imperative when we feel like we are being closed in by darkness.

When we feel all alone.

When we feel like we can’t speak for ourselves.

When there is darkness and temptation and fear…

It is hearing our Savior that will bring us light and peace.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Hearing in darkness  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Lehi started by traveling through darkness for several hours.⁠

Several hours of darkness.

Can you imagine how that felt?

Actually, maybe you can imagine what it is like to feel darkness and emptiness for an extended time.

But Lehi wasn’t just randomly in the darkness.

He knew he was supposed to be there!

He had followed an angel in a white robe to this very spot.

Can you imagine how confusing that might have felt?

Actually, maybe you know what it is like to follow a prompting and feel like the heavens are closed despite your obedience.

So what did Lehi do at this point?

Honestly, pause for a moment and think about what you would do.

Led by an angel and then seemingly abandoned in the darkness for hours.

What would you do next?

Here’s what Lehi did:

“And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.” (1 Nephi 8:8)

Lehi prayed!

Lehi prayed that the Lord would have mercy on him.

No frustration.

No complaining.

No accusations.

Just pure humility from Lehi.

“To be humble is to recognize gratefully our dependence on the Lord.” – Gospel Topics, “Humility”

I have learned that asking for mercy from God is not as easy as it may sound.

Asking for mercy, pleading for mercy, shows an ultimate understanding of our true relationship with God.

It embodies the abandonment of all entitlement.

We all wander dark, empty areas.

Some of us for longer than others.

And for some of us, it was righteousness and promptings that brought us to the darkness.

But will we stay humble in the darkness?

If we continue to plead for mercy and recognize our dependence on God even in the darkness, then a beautiful experience of enlightenment may be just around the corner.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

I asked around to everyone who could possibly help me out.

No solution yet.

The deadline was approaching and I still didn’t have an answer.

I prayed a lot.

I prayed and then followed through on every single action that came to my mind.

And still, no solution.

The deadline day came…

And passed.

Nothing.

I kept praying.

I was doing everything that I could do. And so I really leaned into my faith.

“Heavenly Father, I know that the perfect solution is out there, and I have faith that it will happen whenever it needs to happen best. In the meantime, I will do everything I can on my end.”

It was really peaceful.

When friends would ask me if I had found a solution yet, I got in the habit of responding, “Nope, not yet, but I have faith it will come soon!”

Two weeks.

Two very long weeks after the deadline had passed.

It took hard work to actively choose faith that a solution was on its way every single one of those days.

And then, it came.

A better solution than I could have even imagined.

Now, I could tell quite a few stories where I have NOT used my faith in God to bring me patience while I wait. Plenty of examples.

But this recent experience was really cool for me.

I felt buoyed up. Even as I “stepped into the darkness” for those two weeks, I visualized taking those dark steps, but still landing on something.

I just couldn’t see what it was yet, but I knew I eventually would.

“Waiting patiently on the Lord” (D&C 98:2) is something we are all asked to do at various times.

And I’ve learned through personal experience of this beautiful tie between patience and faith.

Patience, the kind of patience we have to endure when we know we’ve down absolutely as much as we can…

Patience is really just having true faith that God is taking care of things in whatever way He chooses.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Section 93 talks all about light and truth.

Light and truth is knowledge and intelligence.

Light and truth are powerful ideals, that I don’t think I can even begin to fully comprehend right now.

But boy, do I want more light and truth in my life.

And the Savior seems to paint this picture of these universal laws and elements, and that everything is in accordance with this eternal light and truth.

But He also makes a point that we have our agency to do what we will with this light and truth here on the earth.

We started off innocent at birth, and we have agency to do whatever we choose with light and truth.

D&C 93:39 caught my eye though, because here the Lord teaches:

“And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.”

In this grand physics lesson, it’s not so much that the adversary adds darkness into the mix.

Because… darkness doesn’t really exist.

Darkness, like a dark room, or a dark night sky, really just means the absence of light.

And that’s what the Lord sticks with here.

The wicked one takes away light and truth.

That’s how he creates his darkness— by removing the light.

And did you catch HOW the adversary takes away light and truth?!

Through disobedience.

We gain light and truth through obedience, while the wicked one takes away light and truth through disobedience.

Obedience isn’t the most popular word.

Our hearts need to be in the right place for obedience to be as powerful as it can be.

Want more light and truth?

Take it to the Lord and ask, “How can I become a little more obedient today?”

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Light and truth and obedience first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I attended a funeral last month after my husband’s grandpa passed away, and I found that my thoughts kept bringing me to my own legacy.

What will people say about me?

What kind of a life am I living?

I want to be a force for SO MUCH good in the world.

I want to boldly proclaim my testimony, and arrive in the next life exhausted from doing my best.

I want to develop myself and serve others like crazy.

So when I read Doctrine and Covenants 21:6, my attention was piqued, because it aligned perfectly with my “big picture” goals for my life!

In that verse, the Lord says,

“For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.”

THIS is the kind of impact I want to make!

Dispersing the powers of darkness wherever I shine my light.

Causing the heavens to shake for my good because of the good deeds that I choose to do.

But what is it that was mentioned right before this verse?

What is it that I need to do that will cause the Lord God to make these powerful actions happen?

It’s D&C 21:4-5 where the Lord tells us that we have to listen to and follow the prophet, just as if the Lord Himself were speaking these words to us!

Listen to the prophet as intently as you would the Lord, act on what you hear, and then the gates of hell can not prevail against us.

What?! So. Powerful.

That is how important it is to “follow the prophet”.

President Nelson has given us lots of very specific challenges and assignments to do.

Starting with when he challenged the women of the church to do a social media fast and then read the Book of Mormon before the end of the year, I have felt the true, literal power that has come from following his counsel.

I know that, to some degree, the heavens can shake for my good and that I can disperse darkness in my life.

And… I’ve also slacked in other areas of his counsel.

I’ve forgotten or ignored or pushed to the side.

And THAT allows little wisps of darkness to keep me from accessing my full power.

So, are we wanting to knock out the darkness that surrounds us with even more power?

It might be worth reconsidering how seriously we follow our current prophet’s divine counsel.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Funerals, legacies, and prophets first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

And it was so dark!

Outside, inside– everything just seemed eerily quiet and dark.

We turned on the flashlights from our phones and were pretty surprised at how well we could see with just this small light source.

And then, finally, the power came back on.

The light was back!

From a scientific standpoint, darkness isn’t a real thing.

There are varying degrees of light, or there is an absence of light.

But there is no darkness.

And lights cannot be hidden in darkness.

There is no such thing as “too much darkness”.

And what a powerful reminder for us about our most powerful and our only essential light source, our Savior Jesus Christ.

There will never be “too much darkness” in the world for Him to overcome.

But it’s also been a peaceful and merciful message in my life recently.

I want to shine out as much of Christ’s light to others as I can.

And even though I have hopes of being a bright sun, sharing light and being a vessel for great power…

Sometimes I feel like a little cellphone flashlight in a giant, dark house.

And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

Because I don’t think that Christ would say that is “not enough light”.

HE can shine through any amount of darkness, purely because of His nature.

Any amount of light will conquer any amount of darkness.

Anywhere that there is an absence of Christ, then any amount of His presence makes all the difference.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Darkness doesn’t exist first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

The people in Nephi and Lehi’s prison were surrounded by darkness.

“They were overshadowed with a cloud of darkness, and an awful solemn fear.” (Hel. 5:28)

Darkness.

And then Aminadab remembered something from his youth.

Someone.

Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ dispels darkness.

And so he told the others to cry until they had faith in Christ.

The cloud of darkness was dispersed.

And they were all encircled by a pillar of fire.

“They were filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory.” (Hel. 5:44)

Calling upon Christ dispelled darkness in the most literal sense.

And calling upon Christ can dispel every kind of darkness that we have.

But the cool part is that he doesn’t just dispel the darkness.

He replaces the darkness with light and power.

With unspeakable joy and unexplainable peace.

We feel like singing and shouting with the armies of heaven.

It’s that feeling that you just can’t prove to anyone else when you feel it.

And unfortunately, we can sometimes later convince ourselves we never felt it in the first place.

But it is as undeniable in the moment as if fire literally surrounded us and we conversed with angels.

It’s the full presence of the Spirit of God.

And so when we feel that darkness closing in and weighing us down, we need to remember where to turn in order to see again.

And that is toward Jesus Christ.

He dispels the darkness and gives us an abundance of his Spirit in its place.

Artwork by Brent Borup.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Darkness to light first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

He was in a dark and dreary waste.

He had followed an angel in a white robe, but now he was in total darkness.

Wandering for hours.

Can you imagine?

Maybe you can.

You KNOW you are supposed to be here. Something good brought you here.

But now, darkness. The heavens have closed. There’s no happiness. No peace. Just dreariness.

For hours.

Why? What was the point of bringing me here to this wasteland of darkness and nothingness? I thought I was doing what I was supposed to do?

Lehi prayed. He prayed unto the Lord that he would have mercy on him. What a desperate but humble prayer.

He DIDN’T ask why. He DIDN’T complain. He DIDN’T accuse God of anything.

He just asked for mercy.

Asking for mercy shows the ultimate understanding of our true relationship with God.

The abandonment of all entitlement.

True humility.

And after this prayer of mercy? The field and the tree. A clear path to true happiness.

Happy Studying.

-Cali Black

The post Wandering in Darkness first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.