“She was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.” (1 Samuel 1:10)

Her husband didn’t understand.

“Why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?” (1 Samuel 1:8)

Why do you care so much?

Why so much emotion?

What’s even going on?

The priest Eli didn’t understand either.

“Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.” (1 Samuel 1:14)

Too many feelings.

Too much emotion.

This can’t be right.

Hannah’s heartfelt, heartbroken, sincere emotions were misunderstood by those around her.

Was she crazy? Could she be trusted?

And yet those deep emotions, that deep bitterness, led her to the Lord.

Led her to make a sacred vow.

Gave her both the broken heart and the spiritual confidence to ask for what she wanted.

Paved the way for a son to be brought into her life, one who would eventually bless all of Israel.

Hannah felt pain and sorrow and she wasn’t afraid to express it.

And when the blessing came?

So much joy that she couldn’t contain that, either.

“And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.” (1 Samuel 2:1)

I am grateful for this emotional, spiritually strong woman.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The emotional Hannah first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

That’s what I used to think this scripture was referring to:

“Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.” D&C 130:18

Learn as much as you possibly can from school and classes so that you can still be super smart in the next life, too.

As if you aren’t going to be able to learn anything new in the next life.

But that doesn’t make sense, because I sure hope I learn tons more after I leave this life!

So what could this mean?

What about emotional intelligence?

Social intelligence?

Spiritual intelligence?

There are so many different kinds of intelligences.

I think the Lord is telling us to become well-rounded people.

To grow in any area we can.

To figure out how to handle our emotions and not get so angry and reactive.

To figure out how to make friends and reach out to others in ways that connect.

To recognize when the Spirit is prompting us and when prayers have been answered.

To learn about new subjects that are interesting to us and keep us engaged.

To master the right tone while you sing, to get the perfect bake on the cake, to improve your mile time, to finish that difficult project…

Gaining intelligence in any area is encouraged!

And won’t that make the next life so much more amazing?!

An expanse of people who used their time on earth to grow in so many different ways!

And then can you imagine meeting people from other dispensations and exchanging knowledge?

I have absolutely no clue what things will be like, but I imagine something beautiful like this.

Knowing things is always better than not knowing things.

But we also don’t have to know it all. (Because I have no clue how to get a perfect bake on a cake.)

But I believe that any effort we make to improve any area of intelligence will be worth it because it helps us become more like Him.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Intelligence for everyone! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.