I’ll start having a conversation with someone who I really want to know how she is doing…⁣

And then my kid runs out of sight and I have to run after them.

I’ll see a new family after church that I want to get to know better…

And every time I start walking their way, one of my kids desperately needs my urgent attention.

I catch up with another friend I haven’t seen in a while…⁣

And then I have to go help a kid who is feeling anxious.

I want to be friendly. I want to meet new people. To connect. To show love. ⁣

And yet I feel distracted and disconnected.

I recently prayed for a new perspective and some clarity, because I didn’t like how frustrated I was feeling.

Eventually, the Spirit brought two things to my mind:

First, I remembered the different uplifting interactions I had with people BECAUSE my kids are being kids.

New friendships being made. Other people serving ME. ⁣

And secondly, the Spirit brought to my mind this scripture:

“Out of small things proceedeth that which is great.” D&C 64:33⁣

I often feel like I’m missing out on some great things at church.

Because I am instead stuck doing a bunch of little, insignificant things. ⁣

Pulling out a Jesus book to distract, opening another pack of fruit snacks, pulling a hand away from a cord, picking up the kid trying to lick the A/C vent (again), picking up the goldfish, talking out of a meltdown, teaching about reverence in the chapel…

I do a lot of small things. ⁣

But I do them for three little kids that I love. Because right now, they need the fruit snacks. They need the carrying. They need the teaching. They need the constant attention.

And out of all of these small, little things…

Comes all the REALLY great stuff.

Seriously, these kids are going to be amazing grownups. I can tell already.

And because I will become greater as I step into my role as their mother.

Parenthood is doing a lot of the small stuff. The diaper changes, wiping up the spill, giving a hug, over and over.

Small stuff. All day, every day.

But it’s out of these small things.

The songs sung during the diaper change, the invitation to help mommy clean up the spill, the loving smile and little tickle when I give the hug.

Out of these small things proceedeth that which is great.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Small things first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Whether it’s an EFY group, a Sunday School class, a youth group, or Primary kids…

I’ve had moments when I am filled with this powerful love and perspective.

They are so important.

Each of them.

Many times when I’ve had this experience, I’ve tried to tell the people in the room about it right then.

But words can’t really convey how I can tell the Lord feels about them.

My explanation feels clunky, but the love I can feel for them is real.

They are each so valued to our Heavenly Father.

But then…

I think about when I’ve had a leader stand up and say something similar—

That they feel great love for each of us in the room.

And for some reason, it’s a little harder to feel that same divine love coming from the other direction.

The Lord teaches us to “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” (D&C 18:10)

It can often be easier to understand that God loves the people around us than to truly feel His love for us individually.

Did you know that YOUR soul is great?

Did you know that many people likely have looked at you and felt that glimpse of God’s love for you?

Great people surround you.

But don’t ever forget that YOU, you yourself, are great, too.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post You are great!  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

… great humans are raised. ⁣

By eating foods that provide nutrients, by moving your body every day, by loving your body for what it can do…⁣

… great, healthy lives are lived. ⁣

By thanking your spouse often, by intentionally connecting with them each day, by comforting instead of criticizing…⁣

… great marriages are created. ⁣

By meeting deadlines, by treating coworkers with respect and kindness, by doing your best even when no one is looking…⁣

… great, hardworking individuals are formed. ⁣

By being kind to yourself in your own thoughts, by setting healthy mental boundaries, by taking time to do things you enjoy…⁣

… great, fulfilled people are molded. ⁣

By opening your book every single day, by taking time to ponder and write, by reading supplemental materials…⁣

… great, passionate scriptorians are born. ⁣

It’s easy to lose perspective when we are in the thick of the little things. ⁣

But looking back, we can see where our habits and actions have led us. ⁣

“By small and simple things are great things brought to pass” (Alma 37:6).

⁣And so we can look forward with that same foresight and purpose. ⁣

The little things you do today, from mundane to meaningful, from exciting to expected, are adding up to greatness. ⁣

“Frequently it is the commonplace tasks we perform that have the greatest positive effect on the lives of others, as compared with the things that the world so often relates to greatness.” – Howard W Hunter

The little things seem so little, but are truly little pieces of greatness.

Which little pieces will you add to your life today?

The post Little pieces of greatness  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I felt both embarrassed and frustrated.

I felt embarrassed for putting all the effort into running a campaign, making stickers, and giving an enthusiastic speech in front of the entire school.

And I felt frustrated that no one (or not enough people at least) could see the value that I would bring!

I thought that I truly was the best person for that position, but that I hadn’t been able to convey that to everyone.

Lehi shared a prophecy about Joseph Smith.

The Lord said, “And I will make him great in mine eyes.” (2 Nephi 3:8)

I can’t help but think–

Whose eyes do I want to be great in?

I learned early on that I can’t count on being seen as “great” in the eyes of my peers.

(For the record, I had an amazing group of friends in high school and I ended up taking another student government position that year.)

But I have to almost EXPECT to be underestimated.

We may not always be viewed as someone awesome at school, at work, in our community, in our wards, and even in our families.

We might have a kid who doesn’t win “student of the month”, gets cut from the team, or struggles in a class.

But whose opinion matters the most?

I’ve slowly learned that other people’s perceptions actually have nothing to do with who I really am.

I mean, it is always a good idea to be kind and try to make friends.

To serve and to love.

But when we decide that God’s opinion of us is all that matters, we can gain clarity on how to truly be a “great” person in God’s eyes!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post I lost the election first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I started having a conversation with someone and I really wanted to know how she was doing…

And then my little boy crawled out of sight and I had to run after him.

I saw a new family at our linger longer after church that I wanted to get to know better.

And every single time I started walking their way, one of my kids desperately needed my urgent attention. And then the family got up and left.

I started catching up with another friend I hadn’t seen in a while.

And then I had to go stop by kid who was trying to climb all over the organ in the chapel.

I wanted to be friendly. I wanted to meet new people. To connect. To show love.

And my kids kept distracting me and throwing obstacle after obstacle my way.

I honestly left church feeling pretty bummed out.

I kept praying for a new perspective and some clarity all afternoon.

Eventually, the spirit brought two things to my mind.

First, I remembered the different uplifting interactions I had with people BECAUSE my kids were being a little crazy.

New friendships being made. Other people serving ME.

And secondly, the spirit brought to my mind this scripture, that I had already been pondering as one of my favorites from this Come, Follow Me week:

“Out of small things proceedeth that which is great.” D&C 64:33

I felt like I missed out on some great things at church yesterday.

Because I was instead stuck doing a bunch of little, insignificant things.

Pulling out a Jesus book to distract, opening another pack of fruit snacks, pulling a hand away from a cord, picking up the kid trying to lick the A/C vent (again), picking up the goldfish, talking out of a meltdown, teaching about reverence in the chapel that seemed to go in one ear and out the other…

I did a lot of small things.

But I did them for two little kids that I love. Because they are so so so little. And right now, they need the fruit snacks. They need the carrying. They need the teaching. They need the constant attention.

And all of these small, little things…

Comes all the REALLY great stuff.

Seriously, these kids are going to be amazing grownups. I can tell already.

And because I will become greater as I step into my role as their mother.

Parenthood is doing a lot of the small stuff. The diaper changes, wiping up the spill, giving a hug, over and over.

Small stuff. All day, every day.

But it’s out of these small things.

The songs sung during the diaper change, the invitation to help mommy clean up the spill, the loving smile and little tickle when I give the hug.

Out of these small things proceedeth that which is great.

Artwork by Megan Lindsey, @huesandbluesart

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Small things at church first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.