How am I supposed to know?⁣

I’ve had friends who deal with perfectionism who have wondered about this. I’ve had friends who deal with great anxiety and depression who have wondered about this. ⁣

I think we’ve all been here at some point. ⁣

Here’s a comforting answer I’ve encountered again and again, both in personal prayers, through messages in General Conference, and in the scriptures:⁣

Where is my heart?⁣

Because THAT is a question that I actually know the answer to. ⁣

One place the Lord reiterates this idea is in D&C 97:8:⁣

“All among them who know their hearts are honest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite, and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are accepted of me.”⁣

I know the state of my heart. ⁣

Do I actually yearn to learn and study from the scriptures? Or am I only waiting to see if my spouse is going to see me studying or not?⁣

Do I actually want to serve others more? Or do I feel like “things are great” and that other people are an inconvenience?⁣

Do I work on becoming more Christlike every single day? Or do I think I’ve got other more pressing issues on my to-do list?

Is my heart sincere?⁣

Is my heart honest?⁣

Is my heart broken and turned to the Lord?⁣

Is my heart yearning to keep my covenants?⁣

And when my heart isn’t… do I quickly try to repent and get back to a soft, moldable, loving heart again?⁣

…and then repent again and again and again every time I fall off the track?⁣

Then I am accepted of the Lord so far. ⁣

This doesn’t make me complacent. ⁣

In fact, it makes me feel quite the opposite. ⁣

But I think it’s important for each of us to take inventory from time to time:⁣

Where is my heart? ⁣

And as we do this under the influence of the Spirit, I believe we can get an accurate picture of our standing before the Lord.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Am I good enough? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

These are two very desirable…

(but in my opinion, very DIFFICULT)

…Christlike attributes to obtain. ⁣

“That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.” (Philippians 1:10)

I see being SINCERE as an outward quality.

It’s an attribute that affects what I say or do toward others. ⁣

How can I become more sincere?⁣

Here’s a few things I’ve been working on:⁣

-Expressing gratitude for other people often

– Acting on promptings as soon as I receive them⁣

– Not being afraid to speak up when I feel differently about a situation than others (not just saying “I agree!” to keep the peace)⁣

– Making sure my outward actions reflect my inner thoughts⁣

– Praying earnestly to have my natural thoughts be more kind so that I can then act with sincerity on desires to serve, and not out of obligation ⁣

The other Christlike quality is to be WITHOUT OFFENCE. ⁣

I see this quality as a more inward characteristic.

It has to do more with how I react to what other people are saying. ⁣

How can I avoid being offended more often?⁣

Here’s some more things I’ve been working on:⁣

– Recognizing that when I perceive something as “rude”, it most likely is not from someone who actually intends emotional harm.

-Acknowledging that other people’s words and actions have nothing to do with who I am.

– GIVING IT TIME. This is a huge one for me. Right after something “offensive” has happened, I’ve found it helpful to not wrestle with it right afterwards because my emotions get in the way. When I give things time, it is so much easier to see the bigger perspective. ⁣

– Praying to see the situation as my Father in Heaven sees it. Eventually, I get a glimpse of that Christlike love for the other person that seems to make the situation much more bearable. ⁣

I’m still working on adding sincerity and avoiding offence each day. ⁣

But the peace that comes from the moments when I do get it right teaches me that this is how the Savior wants me to live. ⁣

How have you become more sincere?

How do you avoid taking offence?⁣

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Sincere and without offence   first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.