I mean, yes, an angel says it each time.

But I think it’s interesting to look at the other context for these three times:

1. Matthew 1:20 “Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife”.

Joseph is told to FEAR NOT to do a really hard thing that had been asked of him.

To do something different than what society expected. 

2. Luke 1:13 “Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son”. 

Zacharias is told to FEAR NOT because the whole circumstances of his life were going to be changing soon.

To fear not that the Lord hasn’t been hearing his prayers. 

3. Luke 1:30 “Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.”

Mary is told to FEAR NOT after wondering her standing with God.

She doesn’t think she’s the right person, but she is told that she has found favor with Him and to not fear.

Fear creeps into our lives so many shapes and forms.

Fear of change, fear of rejection, fear of being ridiculed, fear of being wrong…

But God sends His messengers to remind us that we don’t need to dwell in fear.

He will provide the miracle.

He will make the worldly mocking seem like nothing.

He will reassure us of our standing before Him.

He will answer our prayers.

He is aware of every single little detail, every little nuance of our specific situation.

And still, He invites us to fear not.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post 3 Fearful circumstances  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I asked her how she’s doing and she said, “You know those weeks where everything just seems to be going wrong?!”

And I said “Yup, yup I do.”

Between the two of us, we had a broken A/C, broken water heater, weeds galore, car damage, pregnancy pains, broken garbage disposal, crazy work schedules and hectic personal schedules.

And all of it had happened within the last week.

Isn’t that how life is?

All at once or nothing at all.

I’m sure Father Jacob felt this “all at once” emotional pain overcome him when he saw his sons return from their first trip to Egypt.

Joseph had been gone for years, but I’m sure the pain was still fresh. Simeon was now imprisoned in Egypt. And they wanted to take Benjamin with them when they returned?! He would surely be taken from him, too!

It’s no wonder that he cried out, just like many of us have:

“All these things are against me.” (Genesis 42:36)

Sometimes, it sure seems like this is the case.

You can’t catch a break, the struggles keep piling up, and you can’t seem to find a tender mercy anywhere.

Why is everything against me?!

Guess what we get reminded of in Psalm 56:9?

“God is for me.”

THINGS may be against us. Air conditionings and garbage disposals may be out to make our lives miserable.

Or just the natural circumstances of living as a human in a fallen world make life rough.

But GOD will always be FOR US.

Do I believe that?

Do I really believe that?

Honestly, I do. And it’s gotten me through plenty of rough weeks.

It’s kept me focused on gratitude. It’s kept me grounded in prayer. It’s kept me KNOWING that things will work out, even if it doesn’t look like it in the moment, and even if “work out” looks differently than I hope.

Everything might be against me.

But God is for me.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Everything is against me! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

She knew that Kyle and I had been talking about getting engaged, and so she wanted to give me one piece of advice before we made that decision:

“Make sure you see Kyle get super stressed or angry about something, see how he responds to that pressure, and then make sure you are okay with his response.”

It was great advice, because admittedly, we had been kind of living a fairytale dating experience.

Yeah, we had seen each other deal with the minor stresses that came from college classes or everyday work situations, but we hadn’t seen how each of us responded to really big pressures yet.

But finally, the opportunity presented itself.

(Kyle— I’m so sorry if I unknowingly wished the big trial into existence for my own selfish purposes.  Haha!)

I saw how Kyle dealt with a huge, frustrating setback, one that took a hit on his ego.

And… I was totally cool with how he responded.

I saw how he worked through problems, how he handled big emotions, and how I could support him through tough times.

It was a great little confirmation that he would make a great choice for me as a spouse.

And I’m still happy with my decision all these years later, thank goodness! <3

When we read about Joseph’s reaction to seeing all of his brothers again after all these years, it can be difficult to figure out why he does what he does:

He accuses them of being spies, imprisons one brother, frames another, makes dramatic demands, and doesn’t want to give away who he truly is.

But to me, it looks like Joseph is just trying to see who his brothers really are after all these years.

Did they care at all about what they had done to Joseph? Had they repented? Did they love Benjamin? How were they treating his father?

A great way to find out who someone truly is, is to see how they respond to stress or pressure.

(For the record, I’m NOT advocating you go and create difficult times for everyone in your life in order to determine where their hearts are!)

But… isn’t that what God basically does to us?

He lovingly and all-knowingly gives us tough times and trials and weaknesses and pains so that we can prove to Him, and to ourselves, what truly matters most to our hearts.

Who do we choose, even when times are tough?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post  Pressure on our hearts first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Because the adversary wants us to believe that if we forgive someone, we have said that what they did was okay, and that we are releasing them from all their consequences.

But that is just not true.

Long after Joseph’s brothers threw him in a pit and sold him as a slave, they were almost shocked to discover that Joseph had forgiven them.

Even YEARS later, after their father Jacob died, the brothers were afraid that Joseph had just been putting on an act for their dad.

And that now he would retaliate.

Because who would actually forgive their brothers for doing something like they had done?

But Joseph dismissed their groveling after their father had died and said:

“Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.”

Can you imagine forgiving family members for saying terrible things about you, physically harming you, devaluing you, and literally removing you from the family for 22 years?

And yet, Joseph forgave.

That didn’t change how wrong the brothers had been.

And it didn’t affect any divine consequences that our perfect Judge would dole out.

But it gave Joseph joy and peace.

We don’t know how much Joseph interacted with his brothers after they all moved to Egypt.

Maybe Joseph had strong boundaries with certain brothers, and kept a respectful distance.

Maybe Joseph felt prompted to fully embrace them and let them into his life.

But his words at the end of Genesis tell us that he was ready to comfort and nourish them as needed.

The adversary is so good at feeding us lies about forgiving those who have wronged us, even in very serious degrees.

But the Savior commands us all to forgive.

Why? To find that internal peace, and truly turn it all over to God!

Have you seen blessings from forgiveness in your life? If you feel comfortable, I’d love to hear them <3

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Forgiveness heals us first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

But I’ve also got even more things to be grateful and joyful about!

I see this dichotomy going on inside myself:

So grateful for this chance to bring a third baby into the world when so many who long for this never get the opportunity.

Excited to have a little girl join our family who I know will add more dimension and joy.

Happy that my body has been able to stay fairly healthy thus far and that I’m still able to handle the bare necessities of my other responsibilities.

And then contrast all those feelings with…

Utter exhaustion. Having a shorter amount of patience with my two kids. Frustration that I’m not able to do everything I want to do. Pain. So much physical pain right now. Panic that I have so much to do before she comes. Fear that I’m not going to be able to handle three kids once she does come.

Just the other day, I sat down, exhausted, with my kids climbing all over me. One was asking for snacks, the other was crying for some reason I couldn’t figure out, they both ended up fighting over a toy, and then someone stubbed their toe and became inconsolable.

“Why?!” I pleaded in my mind, not specifically aimed at God, but I guess aimed at God.

“Why can’t you just give me a break? I need it so desperately! You know that!”

I had a cool answer come to my mind that made me laugh and not take the situation so seriously— it was EXACTLY what I needed to reframe my situation.

But I don’t think I’m alone in these two general feelings.

Sometimes, I’m like Joseph of Egypt, who could clearly see his trials for what they were:

“God meant it unto good”. (Genesis 50:20)

And other days, I’m more like Joseph’s brothers who blamed God for every poor circumstance they found themselves in:

“What is this that God hath done unto us?” (Genesis 42:28)

I think I’m going to give myself grace for the days that I feel like Joseph’s brothers.

I’m gonna pray a lot more, because boy, does God like to answer prayers in exactly the way I need them answered.

And I hope I can get better at sticking with Joseph of Egypt’s humble mindset.

It’s all for my good!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post All for my good first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Here’s the golden question though:

What does it mean to “prosper”?

I tend to get a very specific picture in my mind:

An easy and happy life, money isn’t an issue…

But that would mean all righteous Latter-day Saints should be rich with easy lives, right?

I could point to tons of examples of real-life, church history, and scriptural figures who prove that theory wrong.

(Although do I think we subconsciously judge our own or others’ righteousness based off material possessions/jobs/education? Yes, but that’s a topic for another post)

So if God keeps His promises, how are people prospering?

Let’s look at Joseph of Egypt.

After being almost murdered by his brothers, sold into slavery, and traded to Potiphar…

“The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man”. (Genesis 39:2)

And then after being falsely accused of a terrible sin and being thrown into prison by someone who had grown to trust him…

“The Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.” (Genesis 39:23)

I have found that when I am the most righteous, most devoted, most spiritual and in-tune with God version of myself, I am prosperous in lots of things.

Prosperous in inner peace.

Prosperous in love for myself and others.

Prosperous in joy despite my circumstances.

Prosperous in worshipping.

Prosperous in clarity.

Prosperous in blessings that aren’t tangible.

I fully believe that we are blessed to prosper when we keep our hearts pointed toward God continuously.

But just like Joseph of old, I believe that we prosper in all the inner ways that truly matter most.

How do you feel that you are blessed to prosper?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What does it mean to prosper? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I’m sure Joseph felt this excitement as he interpreted the butler’s dream down in the prison.

Because the dream meant the butler was going to make it out just fine and be restored to his place by pharaoh’s side!

So immediately after interpreting this dream, he asked the butler to put in a good word for him with the pharaoh.

He explained that he was an innocent Hebrew who had been sold into slavery and who hadn’t done anything wrong.

And so what did this butler do when he was restored to his position by the pharaoh’s side?!

“Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him”. (Genesis 40:23)

And it wasn’t until TWO YEARS later that the pharaoh had his own dream and the butler thought, “Wait a second, I should have mentioned this guy I met in prison earlier.”

TWO YEARS.

I’m not sure what kind of inspirational thought this is, but I couldn’t get this practical lesson out of my mind as I studied:

Sometimes, people just forget.

They forget to do things that they’ve promised, even things that seem especially important to us.

And sometimes, we forget.

We forget to reach out to that old friend after receiving a prompting.

We forget to check up on that person that we said we would.

We forget to make that next temple appointment.

Life is messy and mortal, and even with the best of intentions, people will forget stuff.

Sometimes it’s just good to remember that we all need grace because we all forget.

And yet, even if we have to wait for 2 years for someone to remember we even exist, God can always make miracles happen.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post People forget first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It was pretty classic, as he had all the answers written in blue ink on the palm of his hand.

I was disappointed in this student’s decision, and we had a discussion where he confessed and apologized.

I made a note to call his mom after school to discuss the situation.

As soon as school got out, my Vice Principal showed up in my room, letting me know that this student’s mom just called, furious that her son was being falsely accused of cheating.

She had just picked up her son from school, and this mom said her son was telling her he had a friend’s phone number written on his hand, and that I had made the whole thing up.

I was… very frustrated, to say the least.

As a new teacher, never did I think that a parent would accuse me of lying so dramatically or trying to frame their child.

He was the one who had made a poor decision, and now I was being falsely accused?!

Luckily, the whole situation was resolved peaceably and I had some good talks with this kid’s mom.

But for just a moment, I felt that heavy sting of false accusation.

This mom really thought for a moment that I was trying to intentionally frame her child, and it did not feel good.

Now 1000000x more dramatic and serious than my experience, I imagine how Joseph must have felt after Potiphar’s wife accused him of a very serious sin.

And Potiphar’s reaction? He “took him, and put him into the prison”. (Genesis 39:20)

He did everything right, and yet his reputation was completely ruined, along with his lost freedom.

So where’s the redemption?

“But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” (Genesis 39:21)

The Lord still showed mercy and still showered Joseph with blessings.

His circumstances may not have looked great, but he knew he at least had the Lord’s mercy.

Mercy and blessings always follow those who put their faith in God, no matter the circumstance!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post False accusations and mercy first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Growing up, I was asked to play the piano for everything.

Sight-reading has always been my strength, so I could play all the hymns or learn accompaniments super quickly. I was the one playing for seminary, every fireside, ward choir, musical numbers… you name it.

I wasn’t asking for these opportunities.

But I’d always say yes and was willing to play for anything.

And so I was shocked one day to learn that someone started talking about how jealous they were that I could play everything so easily, and that it wasn’t fair that I was the only one asked to play the piano all the time.

I was honestly surprised at how much it hurt me to learn that someone else was jealous of me.

I wanted to explain all the hard work that went into practicing the piano for hours and hours each week.

I wanted to explain that I knew that sight-reading was also a gift that I had when it came to music (don’t ask me to improvise or compose anything!).

I also wanted to explain that I was not volunteering for these opportunities. Adults and other youth were probably just asking me because I had done it before, and they knew they wouldn’t have to ask me if I had the ability to play something or not.

Basically, I did not like being envied.

And then I realized… I envied other people.

I mean, I was a teen. I envied other people for their natural beauty, their fashion, their humor, their wealth, their talents…

I had this realization that each person I envied would probably also have some sort of explanation for why they were that way.

Envying does no good.

Envying leads to separation.

Separation from that person and separation from God for not feeling gratitude for what we have.

Joseph had a tough time with his brothers because “his brethren envied him” (Genesis 37:11).

It seems like Joseph had lots of explanations for why.

He couldn’t help that he was the firstborn of his father’s favorite wife. He clearly had a natural talent for interpreting dreams. He obviously had a close relationship God, so he likely worked hard to develop his gifts.

And instead of embracing Joseph for his uniqueness, his brothers turned their feelings into envy, which boiled into hatred.

Who do you envy right now?

How can you cheer them on instead?

Because love is always better than envy.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Envying and separation first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.