He preached the gospel fervently in Zarahemla.

He was kicked out but obediently returned when the Lord asked.

He shared his message while standing on a wall.

After he finished, some people got really angry and started throwing rocks and shooting arrows at him.

He knew he was being protected by the power of God.

But he also knew his mission was complete.

He jumped down from the wall and decided to just preach to his fellow Lamanites.

“They went forth to lay their hands on him, behold, he did cast himself down from the wall, and did flee out of their lands, yea, even unto his own country.” (Helaman 16:7)

What happened next:

There were MANY people who heard Samuel’s words and believed instantly.

They knew they needed to find the high priest, Nephi.

They found him and confessed their sins.

He baptized many of them and continued to teach them as they developed their testimonies. ⁣

Nephi got to see most of the fruits of Samuel’s labors!

There are different times and seasons of our lives where we might be like Samuel:

Laying the foundation for a reward we will never know about.

And there are other times where we get the huge blessing of being like Nephi:

Seeing the beautiful fruits of the efforts of others.

There are times and spaces for both.

Even though Nephi’s role feels a bit more rewarding in the moment, none is more essential in the big picture.

We can find patience and clarity when we realize that if we do our best, the Lord has the timing all taken care of, whether or not we are around to see it!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Samuel vs Nephi  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I love being a teacher. I’ve naturally taught my whole life, from piano lessons to formal school lessons. I got my degree in teaching and taught full time.

I love being a woman. There is such a cool sisterhood and friendship associated with being female. I love connecting with other women.

I love being a writer. I find such creative joy in taking the thoughts in my head and putting them into the written word.

I love being a wife. I love that I chose an awesome guy to be my partner, and I’m always so happy when I look at the relationship that we have created and the fun we get to have.

I love being a native Californian and a current Arizonan. There are such rich experiences that my different homes have given me, and the people in each location have molded me into who I am.

I love being a mom. I love getting to just love on two amazing kids. It’s fun to see their good days and their bad days, and help teach them what they’ll need to be good humans.

I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love the friendships that I’ve made and the sense of community it gives me no matter where I move.

But what’s my most important role? More than all of these, as essential as they may be?

“It is to hear Him, to follow Him, to trust Him, and to become an extension of His love.”

In other words, it is to be a disciple of Christ.

That is our most important label. That is our most important job title. That is our most important identity.

To learn how to hear our Heavenly Father.

The people of Amlici worked on calling themselves by a different name than the people of God. They found other labels and associations they would rather be called than being part of the people of God.

So what labels do we have? What labels do we find most important? What labels take up the most of our physical time or our mental energy?

Because the most important one we can work on is to hear our Heavenly Father, follow Him, trust Him, and love as He does.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The most important title first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.