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.

When I taught 6th grade, I would tell my students to imagine a parent had just asked them that question. ⁣

How would they respond?⁣

My 6th graders ALWAYS said their most common response to that question was, “Nothing.”

(And now that I’m a parent, I’m starting to get this same response when I ask what a kid did at school/preschool/primary…)

But when I would have this discussion with my 6th graders, we would use this as a springboard to talk about plots in stories.

We basically never read or listen a story where there was no problem of some kind.

Good stories only happen when there is some “inciting event” that initiates a problem to deal with or solve.

And that’s really one of the biggest reasons why kids say “nothing” happened at school.

It’s because they can’t think of anything “story-worthy” to share. ⁣

No problems = no stories.

Our brains are wired to crave stories, though!

That’s why we love reading and watching TV shows.

That’s why scriptures are more effective at teaching doctrine than bullet point lists of what we believe.

That’s why we get together with friends and end up telling story after story. ⁣

But sometimes, there aren’t really any stores to tell.

“And it came to pass that in the commencement of the seventeenth year of the reign of the judges, there was continual peace.” (Alma 30:5)

These may seem like the most “boring” parts of the Book of Mormon.

No problems? No stories!

But if we zoom in, what “boring” and “unspectacular” things were happening during these times of peace?

What unsuspecting service was being performed?

What normal life events happened?

And while these are fun questions to ponder on, it also makes me think of the more normal times in my own life.

Where I may not have a big, dramatic, story-worthy trial I’m facing.

Those regular, routine schedules and to-do lists.

Are those times of peace for me?

Could the mundane moments of my life also be summed up as times of “continual peace”?

Can I maybe do a better job at learning to feel gratitude for those peaceful times?

They may not be story-worthy, but those moments can be just as formative as the big stuff.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post No problem = no story first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.