It seemed like this was a big focus when I was a teen— to write in a journal.

And so I’d write what happened each day for a couple days in a row, and then I’d forget for a few days and try to catch up…⁣

And then it would be months until I had another church lesson about writing in a journal and I’d start the process all over again.

Somewhere along the way, I’ve gradually started to “spiritually mature” when it comes to what I believe I need to be writing down. ⁣

And I was excited when I saw that the Lord said something similar about John Whitmer, too:⁣

“He shall continue in writing and making a history of all the IMPORTANT THINGS which he shall observe and know concerning my church”. (D&C 69:3⁣)

The idea that my great-great-great grandchild is someday going to want to know what I ate for breakfast on Wednesday doesn’t really appeal to me. ⁣

(Although, if you love writing all the details of your life, go for it!)⁣

Maybe someday, someone will read what I write, but I’m not necessarily doing it for them. ⁣

Instead, I’ve been motivated by two ideas:⁣

I am writing down IMPORTANT THINGS due to the value of writing things down. (Idea formation/memory/pondering)

And⁣

I am writing things down in ways that seem natural and simple to me. ⁣

In my life, this looks like:⁣

A note in my phone where I write down one or two words for what I’m thankful for that day. ⁣

A physical journal where I write down my emotions and impressions after General Conference. ⁣

A google doc where I quickly jot down funny stories from my kids that I want to remember. ⁣

Social media posts where I document important life events. ⁣

The margins of my scriptures where I write down spiritual impressions and ponder. ⁣

And so on. ⁣

When I’ve found my own unique ways to follow the counsel to write important things down, I feel blessed. ⁣

I’m able to slow down, process, and see the joy in my life as the Spirit brings certain, important things to my mind.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Guilt about journaling…  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

– one of a million lies I have told myself. ⁣

Anyone else relate?!⁣

We think we’ve experienced something unforgettable, or learned an interesting new fact, or felt the Spirit stronger than we’ve ever felt before…⁣

And then memory fades. ⁣

I’m not going to lie, the idea of writing down my life experiences in a journal for the benefit of some future great-great-grandchild has always seemed far out of reach to me. ⁣

I’m not sure if my posterity will ever really read what I write. ⁣

But I do know that writing things down enlarges my memory. ⁣

Anytime I write an experience down, it cements my feelings down on paper. ⁣

It breaks the memory free from Satan’s grasp.

He can’t convince me that I made it up, or that I really felt that way, or that I over-exaggerated. ⁣

I have the truth, straight from my mouth. ⁣

I learn to trust my past feelings and experiences. ⁣

I grow my collection of “spiritually defining moments”.

When the Brother of Jared left the mountain where he saw the Savior, the Lord commanded him to, “write the things which he had seen.” (Ether 4:1)⁣

The Brother of Jared had just been shown marvelous prophecies and visions. ⁣

And the Lord wanted him to write them down right away. ⁣

Directly after coming “down out of the mount”.⁣

And that’s great counsel for us, too!⁣

But the coolest part is that writing down powerful or important memories doesn’t have to mean pulling out the old notebook for 20 minutes at the end of the day anymore. ⁣

I write things down in the “notes” app on my phone all the time. I post on social media. I type. I do voice-to-text. I record videos of special moments.

We’ve got a whole modern world of “writing things down” available to us!⁣

So how can you improve just a bit more today in the way that is most sustainable to your lifestyle? Share any ideas below! ⁣

And as Elder Andersen taught:⁣

“When personal difficulties or world conditions beyond our control darken our path, the spiritually defining memories from our book of life are like luminous stones that help brighten the road ahead.”

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post “I’ll totally remember that!” first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It seemed like this was a big focus when I was a youth— to write in a journal!

And so I’d write what happened each day for a couple days in a row, and then I’d forget for a few days and try to catch up…

And then it would be months until I had another church lesson about writing in a journal and I’d start the process all over again.

Can anyone else relate?!

Somewhere along the way, I’ve gradually started to “spiritually mature” when it comes to what I believe I need to be writing down.

And I was excited when I saw that the Lord said something similar about John Whitmer, too:

“He shall continue in writing and making a history of all the IMPORTANT THINGS which he shall observe and know concerning my church”. D&C 69:3

The idea that my great-great-great grandchild is someday going to want to know what I ate for breakfast on Wednesday and why that was different than Tuesday doesn’t really appeal to me.

(Although, if you love writing all the details of your life, go for it!)

In fact, the idea of recording my life for future generations doesn’t seem very compelling for me either.

Maybe someday, someone will read what I write, but I’m not necessarily doing it for them.

Instead, I’ve been motivated by two ideas:

I am writing down IMPORTANT THINGS due to the value of writing things down. (Idea formation/memory/pondering)

And

I am writing things down in ways that seem natural and simple to me.

So I’m not writing every detail of my life. Instead, I’m focusing on writing down the important things.

And then I’m writing them down in simple ways.

In my life, this looks like:

A note in my phone where I write down one or two words for what I’m thankful for that day.

A physical journal where I write down my emotions and impressions after General Conference.

An app where I quickly jot down funny stories from my kids that I want to remember.

Social media posts where I document important life events.

The margins of my scriptures where I write down spiritual impressions and ponder.

And so on.

For me, the idea of compiling every detail of my life into a single journal is not something that I’ve been impressed to do.

But when I’ve found my own unique ways to follow the counsel to write important things down, I feel blessed.

I’m able to slow down, process, and see the joy in my life as the Spirit brings certain, important things to my mind.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Anyone else relate?!

We think we’ve experienced something unforgettable, or learned an interesting new fact, or felt the Spirit stronger than we’ve ever felt before…

And then memory fades.

I’m not going to lie, the idea of writing down my life experiences in a journal for the benefit of some future great-great-grandchild has always seemed far out of reach to me.

I’m not sure if my posterity will ever really read what I write.

But I do know that writing things down enlarges my memory.

Anytime I write an experience down, it cements my feelings down on paper.

It breaks the memory free from Satan’s grasp. He can’t convince me that I made it up, or that I really felt that way, or that I over-exaggerated.

I have the truth, straight from my mouth.

I learn to trust my past feelings and experiences.

I grow my collection of “spiritually defining moments” as Elder Andersen taught.

When the Brother of Jared left the mountain where he saw the Savior, the Lord commanded him to, “write the things which he had seen.” (Ether 4:1)

The Brother of Jared had just been shown marvelous prophecies and visions.

And the Lord wanted him to write them down right away.

Directly after coming “down out of the mount”.

And that’s great counsel for us, too!

But the coolest part is that writing down powerful or important memories doesn’t have to mean pulling out the old notebook for 20 minutes at the end of the day anymore.

I write things down in the “notes” app on my phone all the time. I post on social media. I type. I do voice-to-text. I record videos of special moments. I use a journaling app.

We’ve got a whole modern world of “writing things down” available to us!

So how can you improve just a bit more today in the way that is most sustainable to your lifestyle? Share any ideas below!

And as Elder Andersen taught:

“When personal difficulties or world conditions beyond our control darken our path, the spiritually defining memories from our book of life are like luminous stones that help brighten the road ahead.”

The post Just write it down! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.