It was early, it was outside, and I had a million other things to do. ⁣

When I arrived, I was disappointed to learn that none of my friends from my ward had even showed up, even though they said they would.⁣

Sooooo I spent the rest of the activity performing service with a terrible attitude. ⁣

Annoyed that I had come, tired, cold, and a little bit sore from all the hard physical work. ⁣

Clearly, I was missing the entire point of the service activity, and my heart certainly was not happy. ⁣

The Lord taught the Israelites to serve the poor and needy in their community. ⁣

“Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him”. (Deuteronomy 15:10) ⁣

We are asked to give freely to those who are need, which is so important. ⁣

But we also need to make sure our hearts are not grieved, annoyed, or resentful when we give service. ⁣

So would it have been better to just sleep in that Saturday morning and not go to the service project? (Like all my friends decided to do?!)⁣

I don’t think so. ⁣

Service was still performed. Someone else got to feel gratitude for a lightened load. The leaders who had organized it didn’t have to sacrifice as much time away from their families because so many youth bailed.⁣

And it has now become an anchor learning opportunity for me about how NOT to perform service. ⁣

(But just to be clear, that was not an immediate lesson I learned. Reflection and growth take time and maturity!)⁣

I still try to show up to things, even when I don’t totally feel like it because I know at least other people’s loads get lightened. ⁣

But it’s so much better when I prepare my heart and mind with love beforehand! ⁣

Giving with a happy and willing heart makes all the difference.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Bailing on the service project  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

God loves us so much. ⁣

He wants us to become more like Him and His Son. ⁣

That can seem a bit vague and overwhelming, so He also gives guiding commandments that help keep us on the right path of truth.⁣

Most of us start our gospel journey because we realize how much we love God. ⁣

Whether you realized that as a young child, learned it as an adult, or anything in between, most of us have felt love and wanted to give love. ⁣

So then we start keeping the commandments to make sure that our “love” is actually developing us closer and closer into the Divine. ⁣

And then we sometimes get stuck here. ⁣

Keeping the commandments. ⁣

Just keep the commandments. ⁣

Tick those boxes. Get a perfect score. ⁣

Ahhh, totally fell off the track there. Try to keep the commandments even better. ⁣

And we slowly start to lose sight of the WHY. ⁣

Why are we keeping commandments?⁣

Why are we given commandments?⁣

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)⁣

He wants our heart. He wants our soul. He wants our might. ⁣

But only if we are ready to willingly give them to Him. ⁣

Just to be clear, commandments are amazing and absolutely necessary, and doing our best to keep them is essential in molding our character. ⁣

But we’ve gotta keep that WHY in mind. ⁣

Does your heart really want to do what Jesus asks you to do?⁣

Does your whole soul desire to be able to enter God’s presence?⁣

Do you use all your might to listen to the Spirit and follow revelation and commandments?⁣

THESE  are my life goals. To be able to firmly answer “YES” to all three of these questions. ⁣

It’s a huge, lifelong task, but what God really wants is my heart. ⁣

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Losing sight of the why first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

In other words, don’t be jealous. ⁣

Why? ⁣

Why would this make the Lord’s Top Ten List for basic commandments that He wanted the children of Israel to follow, and that He still asks us to follow today?⁣

I think I’ve realized that jealousy is one of the biggest signs of where our heart is. ⁣

If I’m over here spending all my time jealous of my friend’s beautiful new backyard, or that trip that they just went on, or the bonus I know that they got…⁣

Then I’m not spending my time loving them. ⁣

I’m probably a lot less likely to want to serve them. ⁣

I probably am not praying for them. ⁣

And it also means my heart isn’t showing gratitude. ⁣

I’m probably not overwhelmed and grateful with how dependent I am on the Lord. ⁣

I might not be as willing to pay tithing.⁣

My heart starts to worry about the wrong things.⁣

This is a tough one in today’s super materialistic world, and it’s not a commandment I’ve conquered yet. ⁣

But I think it is worth every effort to try and root out that pride and jealousy.⁣

Because then we make a little bit more room to love.

“Most ‘thou shalt not’ commandments are meant to keep us from hurting others, but I am convinced the commandment not to covet is meant to keep us from hurting ourselves.” – Jeffrey R. Holland

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Why not covet? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I’ve had this experience recently, and I’ve been praying constantly for how to help solve this person’s problems so that they aren’t in so much pain. ⁣

But the impression that keeps coming back to my mind is: “This is their trial to deal with. What you can do is support and love and lift.”⁣

And I’ve taken that to heart. ⁣

I can’t take away the trial or the pain or the heartache.⁣

But I can love and support and lift this person through little acts of service, communication, heart-to-heart conversations, and lots of prayer. ⁣

So often, the story of Moses raising his hands in prayer to help the Israelites win their first battle in the wilderness is interpreted one specific way.⁣

But these words touched my heart as I read Exodus 17:12: ⁣

“But Moses’ hands were heavy; ⁣

“and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; ⁣

“and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; ⁣

“and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”⁣

Two friends. ⁣

One of them a brother, in fact. ⁣

Staying by Moses’ side until the sun set. ⁣

They couldn’t take away the heavy task that had been given to Moses, of staying with his hands raised in prayer. ⁣

But they knew that they could be there to love, support, and lift.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Love, support, and lift  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 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, I was just saying “yes” when asked. ⁣

Basically, I did not like being envied. ⁣

And then I realized… I envied other people. ⁣

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?⁣

Envy never leads to sweet fruits.

How can you cheer them on instead? ⁣

Because love is always better than envy.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post When someone envied me  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I had a friend say this recently when I did some service for them during a rough time. ⁣

But it wasn’t hard work for me, honestly. ⁣

I love this friend, I wanted to make their burden lighter, and I even felt like I hadn’t done enough. ⁣

But… I can also think of other times when I’ve served out of obligation or assignment, and it sure has felt like a burden to me. ⁣

My “service” becomes another thing added to my to-do list. ⁣

I think Jacob can teach us a lesson about what the difference is between these two scenarios. ⁣

He loved Rachel. ⁣

So when her father requested Jacob work 7 years for her hand:⁣

“Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.” (Genesis 29:20)⁣

Love. ⁣

I think love is the difference. ⁣

Have you noticed this? ⁣

When I focus on how much I love my kids, the service I do for them seems much lighter— not even like service! I’m just helping them out. ⁣

When I focus on how much I love my husband, I want to serve him and make his life much easier because I find joy in it. ⁣

When I’m filled with love for people in my community, I have a natural desire to serve them and make their burdens lighter.

Love makes service a joy!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Love and service  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I’ve wondered a lot this week about why Enoch was the guy who created this literal Zion city here on earth. ⁣

There have been so many mighty prophets and righteous people beforehand and since, and I don’t know that Enoch was objectively THE most righteous. ⁣

But what was his special gift, his spiritual superpower that made him perfect for this particular role of creating a Zion community?⁣

And the word COMPASSION couldn’t help but jump out as I read Moses 7. ⁣

This guy wept when he learned of terrible destruction that would happen.

He wept when he saw the Savior crucified. ⁣

He wept when he saw latter-day destruction. ⁣

But he didn’t just cry and feel sad about these things:⁣

He always tried to do something about it. ⁣

He saw Noah’s flood?⁣

⁣Enoch wept, and he also pled with the Lord to make a covenant to bless Noah’s seed who would remain on earth.

He saw even more destruction?⁣

Enoch wept and asked the Lord when our poor Mother Earth would get relief from having to bear the pains of mankind. ⁣

He saw more wickedness and the Savior being slain? ⁣

Enoch asked if the Lord would come again to bring peace. ⁣

What a fantastic example of compassion, right?!⁣

He saw the suffering of others, whether it was his fellow man, the Earth, or the Savior. ⁣

And he wept because of the pain they were enduring. ⁣

And THEN, he did what he could to try to relieve their suffering, or to at least learn about what would relieve it. ⁣

We don’t get many details about what Enoch actually did in his city with the righteous people who lived there. ⁣

But I imagine this pattern was repeated day in and day out. ⁣

Tough times would happen. Someone would come to battle against them. Someone would lose a loved one. Someone would mentally and emotionally have a rough day. ⁣

And people would notice, mourn, and do what they could to help. ⁣

Over and over. ⁣

Compassion. Enoch showed it, the Lord shows it, and each member of a Zion community shows it, too.

“Compassion is a fundamental characteristic of those who strive for sanctification.” – Elder Ulisses Soares

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What made Enoch the guy?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I had this thought cross my mind this past week as I had to cancel a bunch of plans to care for a sick kid.

The canceled plans and demolished routines snowballed into an impossibly messy house, missed work deadlines, and little time to myself.

The week just fell apart.

Have you ever thought this before?⁣

“This has all gone wrong.”⁣

There have been a few, much more serious times in my life when I’ve thought this, too. ⁣

But what I’ve learned is one of the most comforting, eternal truths:⁣

“All flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good.” (Moses 6:32)⁣

God is in control. ⁣

And if God is in control, nothing is going to “go wrong” from an eternal perspective.

Now, don’t misunderstand: I’ve learned this does NOT mean that nothing will ever “go wrong” in my life. Medical diagnoses, lost jobs, broken relationships… these tragic twists still come.

But in the grand, eternal scheme of things, God isn’t letting any little decision I make, any sickness, any bump in the road throw a wrench into any of His plans. ⁣

God can do anything at any time. ⁣

So if I believe that, then how can I change my perspective right now?⁣

“If I give this all to God, nothing can go wrong.”⁣

Nothing goes wrong when I give it to God. ⁣

And it feels SO much better to think this way. ⁣

He’s got my back. ⁣

Nothing can go wrong.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post This has all gone wrong  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight”. (Genesis 2:9)⁣

I think of God, and Jesus, and Adam, and possibly others using their priesthood powers of creation to bring plants, trees, oceans, stars, birds, and so much more into existence. ⁣

And we have been given the power to create, too. ⁣

Not just with a canvas and a paintbrush, because honestly, I don’t do great creating there. ⁣

Being “creative” is usually seen as the composer, the drama teacher, the artist, the quilter, the chef…⁣

But we each have so much that we are able to create each day. ⁣

We can create what our attitude is like. ⁣

We can create the family culture in our home. ⁣

We can create love and acceptance where there wasn’t any before. ⁣

We can create strong testimonies by studying areas we wish we knew more about. ⁣

We can create time to make God a priority in our life. ⁣

We can create memories with those we love. ⁣

We can create stronger relationships by choosing to serve others. ⁣

We can create peace even when surrounded by chaos. ⁣

We can create laughter while doing hard work at the same time. ⁣

We can create unity where there was judgment and division. ⁣

Creation is powerful. ⁣

It’s the opposite of being a victim of our circumstances.

We realize that we have the power to create real results in our life. ⁣

And it can all be tied back to faith. ⁣

Faith, placed correctly in Jesus Christ, can give us the courage and the strength to create these moments and these feelings each day. ⁣

“A most wonderful thing is that our Heavenly Father extends to us an invitation to participate in His creative work.” – Elder Gerald Causse

The great Creator can even guide us in what to create, and when. ⁣

So, what have you created today?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

I had been called as the Ward Activities Co-Chair in our singles ward at BYU.⁣

For the month of November, my co-chair and I had planned a big Friends-giving Feast for the entire ward in our church building. ⁣

I was in charge of decorations and costumes for the party, and I had planned to make over 100 paper hats for everyone to wear as they arrived. ⁣

As the party day arrived, my committee members were suddenly all too busy to help me cut out, glue, and tape these hats out of construction paper. ⁣

Kyle and I hadn’t been dating for super long at this point, but I thought I’d see if he could help me out. ⁣

I ran over to his apartment with stacks of construction paper, a few samples, and he immediately set aside whatever homework he was doing to help me out. ⁣

I asked him to do whatever he could, and that I’d be back once I took care of a few other things. ⁣

A couple hours later, I got a text that they were all done. ⁣

It was a big enough task that I knew it had taken him quite a bit of sacrifice to do. He wasn’t just casually trying to be nice to me; he really cared. ⁣

The ward party was a smashing success. 

But ever since that day, my husband has shown nothing but kindness and love and respect for me when I rope him into doing whatever random project, party, or huge activity I end up being in charge of. ⁣

When I was reading The Family: A Proclamation to the World, I read a sentence I know I’ve read many times before, but I took off the last 4 words of it and found completely new meaning. ⁣

“Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other”. ⁣

If you are married, it’s a solemn responsibility that we have to actively love and care for our spouses. ⁣

As life gets even busier and busier than when we were both college students, it gets even easier to let that intentional loving and caring slip by. ⁣

Marriage is so important. And our spouses deserve our best, not our leftovers. ⁣

And so focusing on loving and caring for our spouses, even when life is busy and messy, will show God that we understand the sanctity of marriage.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post I knew I’d marry him  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.