Up the mountain with the thunder and the storm. ⁣

Days passed. ⁣

Weeks. ⁣

Moses was nowhere to be found. ⁣

Slowly, panic replaced faith amongst the Israelites. ⁣

“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods”. (Exodus 32:1)⁣

And in their panic, they turned to the worship of something that was familiar to them, more concrete, unchanging and easy to understand. ⁣

(I know, a golden calf seems weird to us but it was a comfortable and logical move for them to make.)⁣

I’ve learned in my life that patience and faith in God are completely intertwined. ⁣

“When we exercise patience, our faith increases. As our faith increases, so does our joy.” —Elder Jeremy R. Jaggi⁣

Attending the temple hasn’t always made perfect sense to me. ⁣

After first receiving my endowment, there were a lot (A LOT) of things I was confused about. ⁣

But I had heard that the more often you go, the easier it is to gain a testimony of temple worship and work. ⁣

And I clung to that. ⁣

President Nelson even counseled that if we don’t yet love temple work, to go more often. ⁣

And slowly but surely, trip after trip, drop by drop, I’ve learned to love attending the temple. I’ve learned, I’ve worshipped, I’ve served, I’ve received priceless revelation. ⁣

But it took a lot of patience. And waiting. ⁣

AND it took faith in God in waiting for the answer and the testimony to come. ⁣

I can think of so many more examples of this in my life with the law of tithing, keeping the Sabbath holy, fasting, following the prophet…⁣

Patience in God’s timing and in His laws and principles takes a whole lot of faith. ⁣

Faith that He will actually reveal truths, or fulfill promises, or give us a testimony, or keep His covenants. ⁣

But keeping that faith while I wait has always resulted in long-term joy.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post A golden calf?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It was towards the end of the day and she was crying from the pain. ⁣

She’s a super logical kid, so my husband and I comforted her and explained that the best way for sprained ankles to get better is to give them rest. ⁣

We told her that when she slept that night, her ankle muscles would start to relax and heal. ⁣

She eventually calmed down and went to sleep pretty soon after. ⁣

But when she woke up the next morning, she was not too happy to discover that her ankle still hurt! ⁣

“I rested it all last night, so it’s supposed to be better now! Why does it still hurt?!”⁣

I realized I needed to better explain that even though it is amazing that our bodies heal themselves, often it takes a lot longer than we want. ⁣

Within a few hours, she was running around like normal again and hasn’t mentioned her ankle since.⁣

But how often do we tell the Lord our own timetable for healing?⁣

“Okay, I took a nap, did some service, and prayed about it. Why is my emotional pain still here?”⁣

The Lord taught the Israelites: ⁣

“I am the Lord that healeth thee.” (Exodus 15:26)⁣

He has blessed us with beautiful bodies that are, for the most part, able to heal ourselves when we have injury. ⁣

He heals the wounds of sin. ⁣

He heals emotional hurt. ⁣

He heals broken hearts and broken trust. ⁣

He heals pride and contention. ⁣

He heals quickly and miraculously. ⁣

He heals slowly and gradually. ⁣

He heals in a completely different way than we thought we needed to be healed. ⁣

Elder Richard G. Scott taught that we must:

“Accept [Christ’s] invitation to let Him share your burden until you have sufficient time and strength to be healed.”

The Lord heals. ⁣

But how and when is up to Him. ⁣

How has the Lord healed you recently?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Made the journey to Ohio, leaving their homes and livelihoods after hearing the prophet’s call. ⁣

This community was tight-knit. They were staying together. ⁣

But where would they live in Ohio? Who had room for them?⁣

Finally… Leman Copley offers his farm. ⁣

They all can live together! It will take work to build up their community. But at least, finally, some good news. ⁣

They have a home. ⁣

And then… Leman returns. Angry. With a friend. ⁣

They are all asked to leave. Leave their new home?!⁣

But where could they possibly go now?⁣

Where in the Kirtland area could house all of them?⁣

Newel pleads on behalf of his displaced congregation. ⁣

And Joseph receives the word.⁣

“You shall take your journey into the regions westward, unto the land of Missouri”. (D&C 54:8⁣)

Missouri. ⁣

No one else had been asked to move there yet. ⁣

Joseph hadn’t even been to Missouri. ⁣

And yet, the Colesville Saints packed up their belongings and started the trek to Missouri. ⁣

The Lord ended His revelation to his sweet children, forced to move yet again, with this loving reminder:⁣

“Be patient in tribulation”. D&C 54:10⁣

Tribulation is a constant. ⁣

The Colesville Saints experienced it. ⁣

But so do you. And so do I. ⁣

What’s your tribulation right now? ⁣

It probably feels lighter than the Colesville Saints burdens. But… maybe it doesn’t. ⁣

And no matter the load, we are asked to have patience. ⁣

To just wait. ⁣

To not hasten, or rush. ⁣

But to move at the pace that we can, to make the efforts we can make, and to feel patience, turning the timing over to God. ⁣

To wait in humility. ⁣

The tribulations aren’t the variable. They will come. They already have come. ⁣

And our Savior keeps promising us peace as we turn our will over to Him in patience, every single time.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Meaning, if we develop patience, all the other Christlike attributes, such as faith, hope, and charity, naturally fall into place.

In a divine sense, this makes sense.

Because cultivating patience means acknowledging that God is in control and that Jesus saves us.

It means setting aside our pride in thinking that we know best and using humility to admit that God’s timing is better than ours.

But no one really loves being patient.

(My kids will tell ya that, that’s for sure!)

Patience is tough.

After the eager Oliver Cowdery was given permission to translate the gold plates (not just scribing, but actually translating!)…

The Lord revoked that permission for the time being.

The Lord told Oliver,

“Be patient, my son, for it is wisdom in me, and it is not expedient that you should translate at this present time.” (D&C 9:3)

Being patient, even when we don’t understand or like the reasons why, is really the ultimate Christlike act of faith.

“Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father.

“Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God.

“Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His”. – Neal A. Maxwell

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

It’s the one where little kids were put in a room with a marshmallow, and told that if they DID NOT eat the marshmallow by the time the adult came back, they would get a second marshmallow. ⁣

Some kids couldn’t resist it and just ate the first marshmallow. ⁣

Others waited patiently (or painstakingly) but received a second marshmallow and got to eat both. ⁣

I honestly can’t think of a better parallel to the commandments!⁣

— Hey, it really would be better if you avoided watching media that depicted unwholesome things. ⁣

But it’s your choice. ⁣

You can just watch it and get pleasure now. Because, yes, it can be very enjoyable. ⁣

OR you can avoid it, feel disappointed for a bit, but then TRUST that I will reward thee twofold at a later time. ⁣

(Repeat the scenario with any commandment that is tricky for you right now: sleeping instead of reading scriptures, doing things on the sabbath that probably aren’t the best, avoiding service opportunities instead of saying yes, getting immediate results from being angry and rude…)⁣

“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Hebrews 10:36)

As Latter-Day Saints, we’ve just got to be PATIENT a lot. ⁣

There are so many immediate pleasures that we put off in search of future blessings. ⁣

And that sure takes a lot of spiritual maturity to do. ⁣

So this is a cheer-you-on post!

You’ve got this!

You are not alone!⁣

It is HARD to sometimes sit and stare at that marshmallow when you know other people around you are eating it. ⁣

But you trust! You have faith! You KNOW someone is coming back with another marshmallow (or honestly, a reward greater than any amount of marshmallows!)⁣

We can do the will of God, be patient, and KNOW that we will receive the promised blessings!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

I LOVE reading.

When people ask me what book I’ve read recently and I say that I haven’t really read anything, I usually say:

“I don’t have any time to read.”

But what I really mean is, “I wouldn’t feel productive if I just sat down and read when I could be doing other things. That would be lazy of me.”⁣

About a month ago, I had some time without kids, and I was headed downstairs to work or clean or organize something.

But when I passed my bedroom, I saw the stack of books sitting on my bedside table that I hadn’t touched.

And I saw my nice cozy bed. ⁣

And I just decided that I would go lie down in bed and read. ⁣

And I did.

And when the kids were back awake and home from school, I felt refreshed and ready to play all afternoon. ⁣

I feel like I keep having to relearn this lesson:

Avoiding being slothful does NOT mean being “productive” all the time. ⁣

We can relax.

We can do things we enjoy just because we enjoy them.

We can leave the dishes in the sink a little longer and not feel any guilt.

We can follow our passions. ⁣

We can avoid being slothful, and give ourselves time to find joy in life. ⁣

“That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:12)

Paul gives the counsel to use our FAITH and PATIENCE. ⁣

Patience and slothfulness might outwardly look pretty similar.

They both look like a lot of waiting. ⁣

But, as with most things, it’s the inside intent that counts. ⁣

Are we wasting our precious time away?

OR are we allowing ourselves to slow down and enjoy life?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Am I being slothful or patient? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Most people fall into one of two categories when it comes to how they plan and learn:

• I want to see the forest before I can see the trees!

(in other words, I need to see the big picture before you can start giving me little details)

or ⁣

• I want to see all the trees before I see the forest!

(I need to know how all the details are going to work before I can get the big picture) ⁣

Me, personally? I’m 100% the first one.

If I can see the end game, the final purpose, or the desired result for something, then I don’t really get caught up in the details.

In a gospel setting, my style of planning works GREAT sometimes!

Focusing on major doctrines instead gives me peace.

But I’ve learned that my style does NOT work with the way many of us receive personal revelation – “line upon line”.

Line upon line?!

Show me the whole book first and then I’ll figure out the lines!

But I love Peter’s example in Acts 10-11. ⁣

Peter has a big, kind of confusing vision.

While he is pondering about the meaning, he gets the inspiration:

3 men are here to meet him. He should go with them and not doubt anything. ⁣

“Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing”. (Acts 10:20)

Those are VERY SMALL TREE details, with no big vision of the FOREST.

But Peter’s FAITH is unshakable.

No questions or doubts. ⁣

And when he is brought to Cornelius, he slowly gains more details.

And then he has to listen to the Spirit even more before starting to piece together the meaning of the vision.

Eventually, he figures it out and teaches and converts the first group of non-Jews. ⁣

What an example to me! ⁣

Even though I PREFER to see the big picture first, my life has been (and continues to be!) a huge lesson that I can actually fully TRUST my Father in Heaven, more than any earthly leader.

He will not lead me astray.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post How can I be patient with the Lord like Peter? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Waiting.

Long past my scheduled appointment time.

Shouldn’t they call me back soon?

This is so frustrating when I have people watching my kids and it takes longer than expected.

As my patience drained, my good attitude and Christlike heart drained with it.

So there I was, sitting in a crowded waiting room, annoyed and frustrated.

And still waiting.

Isn’t that the real problem with having to wait?

It’s because some thing is supposed to be happening that isn’t happening yet.

Waiting for a job interviewer to call me back. Waiting to get over a sickness. Waiting for my husband to get home from work. Waiting at school pickup. Waiting for blessings in a bad situation.

Waiting can be so so so draining.

But then I think on other times in my life when waiting has been beautiful.

Waiting for a new baby to arrive. Waiting for a trip with my family. Waiting for a treat to finish cooking. Waiting for guidance from the Lord. Waiting for an answer to prayers. Waiting for a session in the temple to begin.

Beautiful waiting and draining waiting have one big difference:

Trusting in God’s timing.

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength”. (Isaiah 40:31)

When I wait while turned toward the Lord, no matter how serious or trivial my waiting may be, I draw spiritual strength.

I have my energy constantly renewed.

I feel invigorated in my waiting because I completely trust that things will happen when God intends them to happen.

There’s a lot of waiting in this mortal life.

But waiting for and with the Lord makes all the difference.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Up the mountain with the thunder and the storm.

Days passed.

Weeks.

Moses was nowhere to be found.

Slowly, panic replaced faith amongst the Israelites.

“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods”. (Exodus 32:1)

And in their panic, they turned to the worship of something that was familiar to them, more concrete, unchanging and easy to understand.

(I know, I know, a golden calf seems weird to us but it was a comfortable and logical move for them to make.)

I’ve learned in my life that patience and faith in God are completely intertwined.

“When we exercise patience, our faith increases. As our faith increases, so does our joy.” —Elder Jeremy R. Jaggi

Attending the temple hasn’t always made perfect sense to me.

After first receiving my endowment, there were a lot (A LOT) of things I was confused about.

But I had heard that the more often you go, the easier it is to gain a testimony of temple worship and work.

And I clung to that.

President Nelson has even recently counseled that if we don’t yet love temple work, to go more often.

And slowly but surely, trip after trip, drop by drop, I’ve learned to love attending the temple. I’ve learned, I’ve worshipped, I’ve served, I’ve received priceless revelation.

But it took a lot of patience. And waiting.

AND it took faith in God in waiting for the answer and the testimony to come.

I can think of so many more examples of this in my life with the law of tithing, keeping the Sabbath holy, fasting, following the prophet…

Patience in God’s timing and in His laws and principles takes a whole lot of faith.

Faith that He will actually reveal truths, or fulfill promises, or give us a testimony, or keep His covenants.

But keeping that faith while I wait has always resulted in long-term joy.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Patience and Faith first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It was towards the end of the day and she was crying from the pain.

She’s a super logical kid, so her dad and I comforted her and explained that the best way for sprained ankles to get better is to give it rest.

We told her that when she slept that night, her ankle muscles would start to relax and heal.

She eventually calmed down and she went to sleep pretty soon after.

Well, when she woke up the best morning, she was not too happy to discover that her ankle still hurt!

“I rested it all last night, so it’s supposed to be better now! Why does it still hurt?!”

I realized I needed to better explain that even though it is amazing that our bodies heal themselves, often it takes a lot longer than we want.

Within a few hours, she was running around like normal again and hasn’t mentioned her ankle since.

But how often do we tell the Lord our own timetable for healing?

“Okay, I took a nap, did some service, and prayed about it. Why is my emotional pain still here?”

The Lord taught the Israelites:

“I am the Lord that healeth thee.” (Exodus 15:26)

He has blessed us with beautiful bodies that are, for the most part, able to heal ourselves when we have injury.

He heals the wounds of sin.

He heals emotional hurt.

He heals broken hearts and broken trust.

He heals pride and contention.

He heals quickly and miraculously.

He heals slowly and gradually.

He heals in a completely different way than we thought we needed to be healed.

Elder Christofferson recently taught about how we can heal and receive blessings from the Lord:

“We do our best but must leave to Him the management of blessings, both temporal and spiritual.”

The Lord heals.

But how and when is up to Him.

How has the Lord healed you recently?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Healing on the Lord’s timetable first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.