I asked around to everyone who could possibly help me out. ⁣

No solution yet. ⁣

The deadline was approaching and I still didn’t have an answer. ⁣

I prayed a lot. ⁣

I prayed and then followed through on every single action that came to my mind. ⁣

And still, no solution. ⁣

The deadline day came…⁣

And passed. ⁣⁣

Nothing. ⁣

I kept praying. ⁣

I was doing everything that I could do. And so I really leaned into my faith. ⁣

“Heavenly Father, I know that the perfect solution is out there, and I have faith that it will happen whenever it needs to happen best. In the meantime, I will do everything I can on my end.”⁣

It was really peaceful. ⁣

When friends would ask me if I had found a solution yet, I got in the habit of responding, “Nope, not yet, but I have faith it will come soon!”⁣

Two weeks. ⁣

Two very long weeks after the deadline had passed. ⁣

It took hard work to actively choose faith that a solution was on its way every single one of those days. ⁣

And then, it came. ⁣

A better solution than I could have even imagined. ⁣

Now, I could tell quite a few stories where I have NOT used my faith in God to bring me patience while I wait. Plenty of examples. ⁣

But this recent experience was really cool for me. ⁣

I felt buoyed up. Even as I “stepped into the darkness” for those two weeks, I visualized taking those dark steps, but still landing on something. ⁣

I just couldn’t see what it was yet, but I knew I eventually would. ⁣

“Waiting patiently on the Lord” (D&C 98:2) is something we are all asked to do at various times. ⁣

And I’ve learned through personal experience of this beautiful tie between patience and faith. ⁣

Patience, the kind of patience we have to endure when we know we’ve down absolutely as much as we can…⁣

Patience is really just having true faith that God is taking care of things in whatever way He chooses.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post How to be patient  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

That’s why I’ve always loved math. ⁣

And so when I have problems come up in my life, I want to fix them right away. ⁣

If I’m not feeling the Spirit in my life, then I need to figure out what is hindering me so that I can open myself up to inspiration again. ⁣

If I’m having a medical issue, I want to get the diagnosis quickly so that we can treat it appropriately. ⁣

If I’m waiting to make a decision, I try to get all the information and make the best decision that I can as soon as possible. ⁣

But I’ve noticed something in the scriptures. ⁣

The Lord never asks us to solve our afflictions. ⁣

Although I’m sure He appreciates the qualities of being a good problem-solver, most scriptures give us completely different counsel about how to deal with difficulties: ⁣

“Be PATIENT in afflictions ⁣

“For thou shalt have MANY;⁣

“But endure them,⁣

“For, lo, I am with thee.” D&C 24:8⁣

We are told that we will have afflictions. ⁣

No amount of preparation or knowledge can change that. ⁣

And when those afflictions come?⁣

We are asked to just be patient in them. ⁣

To sit in the miserable. ⁣

To wait without an answer. ⁣

To see no solution in sight. ⁣

That is what we are asked to do. ⁣

That doesn’t sound very awesome. ⁣

Because I don’t like to have a problem, and just wait. ⁣

But the Lord gives us a redeeming promise that should be more than enough to carry us through any dark path we have to endure:

I AM WITH THEE. ⁣

Fear not. ⁣

The Lord is with us. ⁣

Sitting right beside us in the miserable. ⁣

Waiting without an immediate answer, but with tons of quiet encouragement. ⁣

Showing us that waiting in affliction doesn’t mean the end of the world. ⁣

We are going to have a lot of afflictions. ⁣

And sometimes, a whole bunch all at once. (I’m with ya there!)⁣

And we aren’t asked to solve them all by ourselves. ⁣

We are asked to just be patient and to endure. ⁣

And as miserable as waiting during an affliction can sound, when the Lord is with us every step of the way, we can still find those moments of peace, love, and even joy.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Don’t solve my problem?! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.