I’m not sure exactly the emotions, but I’m willing to bet there was anxiety.

Doubt.

Probably some fear.

All flashing through the Jaredites’ minds to some degree.

But what did the Jaredites choose to do?

“They did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord.” (Ether 6:9)

I’ve always loved the holiday of Thanksgiving!

It’s fun to hear all the people around me express their gratitude for the things they are thankful for.

But when we focus on our “gratitude list,” it can be easy to be jealous of what others have.

Or it can even be tempting to wallow in self-pity for what we are missing out on.

Instead, we can take inspiration from the Jaredites and feel joy and gratitude to the Lord no matter our circumstances.

“I’m suggesting that instead of being thankful for things, we focus on being thankful in our circumstances—whatever they may be.” – Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Whether we are trapped in a tiny wooden barge traveling hundreds of miles through the ocean.

Whether we are dealing with other really rough times.

Whether we are concerned for the wellbeing of others.

We can always choose to feel gratitude to the God who gives us life and love.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Gratitude in the barge  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“Someone who invites you to their parties, is super fun to hang out with, and responds to your texts!”⁣

But since my high school days of tons of friends, (very G-rated) parties every weekend, and texting all day (as long as I didn’t go over my monthly limit), my experiences with friends have changed. ⁣

I’ve had periods of time where I’ve made friends quickly.

And I’ve had other periods where I’ve moved to a new place and never felt like I quite fit in. ⁣

And I’ve learned to change my definition of “friend”. ⁣

I’ve learned that I can make friends with anyone, of any age, in any life circumstance. ⁣

I’ve learned that while I can’t control who “likes” me, I can control who I reach out to. ⁣

Sisters that I’ve ministered to, served with, called, accidentally cried with, reached out to…⁣

Those are the people I consider my friends. ⁣

Who were Jared and his brother concerned about, as much as their families?⁣

Their friends. ⁣

“Cry again unto the Lord, and it may be that he will turn away his anger from them who are our friends, that he confound not their language.” (Ether 1:36)

When Jared asked his brother to pray for the Lord, he requested that the Lord specifically spare their friends, and they all travelled together to the new land. ⁣

We don’t get many stories of friendship in the Book of Mormon, so this really stood out to me as I studied. ⁣

Jared and the Brother of Jared wanted to be with their friends.⁣

Maybe they hung out together every evening and enjoyed each other’s company. ⁣

And I bet that they bore each other’s burdens. ⁣

They had sympathy, they jumped up in the middle of the night, they went out of their way to serve…⁣

And when we serve, we grow our love toward that person. ⁣

I’m grateful for the amazing friends that I have – the ones who have served my family, and the ones who allow me to serve them. ⁣

And I’m grateful that the friendships, not just the family relationships, that I make in this life will continue into the eternities.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Friends in the Book of Mormon  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I think a lot about Ether being prompted to leave his cave and go preach repentance to the king one last time.

Doesn’t it seem a little futile?

Not many people react well to someone walking into their house and calling them to repentance.

Or even giving them a prophecy that if they didn’t repent, their entire civilization would be destroyed.

And Coriantumr sure didn’t respond well.

He sent his guards to kill Ether.

Ether was able to escape back to his cave, but I’m sure he spent some time thinking, “That was pointless. The king wasn’t ready to hear anything that I said.”

Fast forward a few years and a few brutal wars, and we find Coriantumr on the battle field, watching his friends and loved ones being slaughtered by Shiz’s army.

And all of a sudden, he remembered Ether’s words.

Which then caused him to reflect on all the words that previous prophets had spoken, and how every prophecy had come true.

And he began to repent. To change. To turn his heart to the Lord.

It didn’t matter that Coriantumr’s heart wasn’t ready to hear the message when Ether was ready to preach.

It didn’t matter that Coriantumr thought Ether was crazy and rude.

It didn’t matter that Ether might have thought he was wasting his time.

I think there is an important distinction to make, though.

Ether listened to the Spirit when he went to cry repentance.

Tact and timing and sensitivity can be important. Essential even.

But the Spirit can tell to override our usual reasoning and share the gospel. Or give that advice. Or give that warning. Or tell that story. Or share that talk.

When we listen to the Spirit, he will do his part to bring it to their remembrance at the time that they need.

Have you ever had an experience where the Spirit brought something to your remembrance that you disliked at the time, but were ready to hear later?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Crying repentance first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Does anyone else feel like they need that reminder every week or so?!

We love preaching that righteousness = blessings.

But then we sometimes get a false sense of what those blessings are.

If you are righteous, you are not promised freedom from financial issues.

If you are righteous, your spouse can still ask for a divorce.

If you are righteous, you can still lose your job.

If you are righteous, you can have a lot of people really angry at you.

If you are righteous, you can still feel really disappointed by others’ actions.

If you are righteous, it’s possible to not look the way you want to look.

If you are righteous, you can totally fail a test.

If you are righteous, you can still be dramatically harmed by other people.

If you are righteous, you can still be diagnosed with a terrible illness.

So… why am I choosing to be righteous?!

Because of the real blessings that we are promised.

Because of the peace.

The inner joy.

The confidence before the Lord.

And unimaginable and innumerable blessings for the eternities.

Because I love my Savior and my Heavenly Parents, and I want to keep the commandments that I have been given.

But sometimes I need to have that reframe.

I am grateful for all of my outward blessings. I am filled with gratitude when I look at my living situation, my loved ones, my health, my opportunities.

But really, all of those could be taken away.

I could be living in a cave, completely alone for the rest of my life.

And I could still #givethanks.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Bad things happen to righteous people first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

That’s a difficult phrase for me to believe sometimes.

I’m a fixer. I solve problems. I come up with solutions and implement them. I take charge and plan.

So when I am reminded of my weakness, I like to put a plan into place.

I want to fix it.

And sometimes I do!

For a little bit. And then it comes creeping back in.

Again?!

And then every Sunday, I feel like my sacrament pleading is the same. For the same weakness. For the same help. For the same promises to do better this next week.

It feels like something is wrong.

But… nothing has gone wrong.

I was given the weakness of being a fallen human being on earth.

And that weakness will manifest itself in many different ways, from being lazy to being rude to being judgmental to being selfish…

It’s all part of being a human.

It’s easy to get bogged down by our imperfections.

In fact, prophets throughout time have mourned their own imperfections and weaknesses.

But the point of seeing weakness is to humble ourselves.

Not just humble us to the dirt – but to humbly turn ourselves to the Savior.

Our weakness in the flesh was designed to turn us toward the Savior over and over. To bring us to the sacrament table with broken but determined hearts.

Our Savior wants us to turn to him constantly, and that’s why we are in this fallen and weak state.

Nothing has gone wrong.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Nothing has gone wrong first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“Man, that Moroni is the worst writer ever.”

Right?!

Like, it’s almost laughable.

But clearly, to Moroni, this was a serious issue.

He believed that he wasn’t great at writing. He believed that this was a big weakness of his. (Ether 12:25)

And he didn’t want to be mocked or compared.

Now THERE’S a feeling I think we all can relate to.

We see a little kid, afraid to perform at a piano recital, and tell them that it’s totally fine if they make mistakes because everyone is proud of them just for getting up to perform.

And we ourselves are paralyzed by a fear of messing up.

We go to someone else’s house and tell them not to worry about it no matter how many times they apologize for “the mess”.

And yet we don’t want anyone to see our house unless we clean.

We encourage our friends to accept a new calling, telling them that this will be a new opportunity to grow and expand their talents.

And we think the Bishop’s got it all wrong when we hear of our new assignment.

(Not that these examples apply to everyone, but you get the gist.)

We feel such loving compassion for Moroni talking about his weaknesses.

And yet we sometimes spare ourselves that same loving compassion.

So let’s try to be more compassionate, forgiving, and patient with our own weaknesses this week.

To look on our shortcomings the same way a tender, loving parent would.

The way a loyal friend would.

The way our perfect, divine, Heavenly Parents do.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Weakness and compassion first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

There are a lot of unknowns.

We tend to toss around “faith” and “hope” like candy these days.

“I have faith that you can finish that!”

“I hope that goes away soon!”

It’s all fine – often sweet, well-meaning sentiments.

But I’ve been thinking a lot about the real, weighty meanings of those words.

FAITH.

Men’s (and women’s) hearts shall fail them.

People will disappoint, sin, get better and then fall off the tracks again. Even deliberately offend or harm.

And I sometimes fail myself.

So I’ve learned that my faith has to be in my Savior.

Not that my kid will be healed. Not that we’ll meet this goal. Not that I’ll finally figure out how to overcome a weakness.

But my real faith is that my Savior lives, he loves me, and that he will be my advocate with the Father.

HOPE.

We don’t know what’s coming.

Now more than ever.

We don’t know what the future holds. But I can still hope for a bright future for the things that I can control.

The unknowns are countless.

But my hope can keep me looking forward.

Not with blind, naive optimism. But with pure, distinctly chosen faith.

Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen.

I have faith that my Savior will make all things right. I have faith that my Savior will bring me peace. I have faith that my Savior loves me in the ways that I’ve been taught.

I can’t see it.

But I’m not just guessing. I feel its truthfulness in my heart.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Real faith and hope first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“He did ease the burden of the people, by which he did gain favor in the eyes of the people.” (Ether 10:10)

He took away all of their grievous taxes and let them live wonderful lives!

But the catch?

“He did do justice unto the people, BUT NOT unto himself because of his many whoredoms; wherefore he was cut off from the presence of the Lord.” (Ether 10:11)

He sought to gain favor with his subjects and to ease their burdens.

But he never turned to the Lord and repented of sins.

He was a blessing outwardly to many people, but he didn’t save his own soul and turn to the Lord.

Did you know it’s possible to do good things without gaining a relationship with Christ?

It’s possible to go to church and fulfill your calling just to socialize.

It’s possible to pay tithing just to keep your temple recommend, so you aren’t left out of the temple for the upcoming wedding.

It’s possible to post a bunch of #givethanks pictures just so other people don’t judge you for not doing it. 

But…

We often hear that we gain testimonies of principles as we follow them – so how do we do this without being hypocrites?

I think it all comes down to one thing.

Desire.

When we are struggling to want to go to church in order to worship the Lord, we can still go with a desire to want to go to church more often in the future.

If paying tithing becomes a big challenge, we can still pay it with a desire to gain a stronger testimony of it in the future.

If we don’t want to participate in another social media challenge, we can try to post with a desire that it will become more authentic and fill us with gratitude and peace.

Doing righteous actions is fantastic. Blessing lives through our example, our service, our money, our testimony… that is amazing.

But are we neglecting our own hearts? Or are we using our actions to turn our hearts to our Savior?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Actions and desire first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Power.

Power over people.

Power to make them do whatever you want.

Power to give yourself more privilege and leniency.

People wanted power, and they were willing to do whatever it took, including destroying families and friends, to grab it and keep it.

What a contrast to Jesus, right?!

He was the perfect example of humble “servant-leadership” – someone who gains authority by serving others.

I want to follow my Savior, not because I am told to, but because of what he has done for me.

He’s paid the ultimate price for me, and given me the ultimate service.

And that’s why I choose to follow.

Not many of us are seeking high positions of power, but all of us have had some kind of leadership positions.

In church callings, in work, and even as parents.

So what’s our leadership style?

Is it to assume that our title gives us power, or to seek for even more?

Or is it to serve those “beneath” us so much, that we build our own loving authority and influence?

I think of the leaders that I’ve loved and admired in my life.

The teachers who reached out to me and asked how I was doing. The bishops who were willing to help out or speak. The bosses who would help me improve and provide me with resources. The leaders who are always available with a listening ear.

That’s really what makes a good leader – those who see it as a greater service opportunity.

And I look at our beloved prophet.

He’s a natural leader. Not because he was given a title. But because he cares about those whom he serves. He teaches, guides, serves, prays for, and blesses.

That is true leadership.

Seek to serve, and not to gain power.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Servant-leadership first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Knowing that there was no way to steer?

Commending yourself entirely to the Lord your God?

What anxiety, doubt, and fear I’m sure flashed through their minds.

But what did they CHOOSE to do?

They sang praises to the Lord.

They thanked the Lord all day long.

And when the night came?

They didn’t cease to praise the Lord.

Thanksgiving always brings a special spirit to me.

I’m not sure why, but I’ve always loved it.

And I think this Thanksgiving gives us a special opportunity to reflect:

Have we lost ourselves in the “list” of things we are thankful for, sometimes wallowing in what isn’t on the list, or jealous of what we think should be on the list?

Or have we used this year to practice our attitude of gratitude?

We don’t have to be grateful for 2020.

We can be. But we don’t have to have it on our list.

President Uchtdorf put it so eloquently:

“This type of gratitude transcends whatever is happening around us. It surpasses disappointment, discouragement, and despair. It blooms just as beautifully in the icy landscape of winter as it does in the pleasant warmth of summer.”

We are grateful to God IN our circumstances.

Whether we are trapped in a tiny, wooden barge, traveling hundreds of miles through the ocean.

Or whether we are dealing with job loss, loss of loved ones, financial insecurity, faith crises, or any other type of despair.

We can develop and show gratitude.

Through prayers, through scripture study, through service, and through singing.

We can always feel gratitude.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Singing praises first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.