I almost always get a carton of eggs during our weekly shopping trip.

It’s a staple in our household for baking, scrambled eggs, and breakfast sandwiches.

So when the egg prices started to climb last year, I was shocked each time I added them to my cart.

So expensive!

And then, one week, there were no eggs available.

None.

“No big deal,” I thought. “We can do without eggs this week.”

But then, the next week, there weren’t any eggs either.

And still again, the next week, there weren’t any.

Finally, on my next shopping trip, I found the shelves filled with eggs again!

As I put a carton in my cart, my heart filled with gratitude.

I don’t think I have ever been grateful for eggs before…

But having to wait such a long time allowed my heart to feel that dependence on and gratitude for the Lord for such a simple blessing as eggs.

The Israelites had suffered for a long time.

So when they saw Moses and Aaron’s signs and heard their testimony that they had been sent from God to free them,⁣

“The people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.” (Exodus 4:31)

When I have to wait for a blessing for a long time, my gratitude increases exponentially. ⁣

Maybe that’s why the Lord likes to let us wait sometimes.

He knows that our hearts need the training.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Grateful for eggs first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Cramped conditions. ⁣

In a jail. ⁣

Terrible food. ⁣

Poor lighting. ⁣

Freezing cold. ⁣

Isn’t it tempting to consider our outside circumstances as a sign of how we are doing in life?⁣

“How are you doing right now?”⁣

“Terribly. Because of all these things that are going wrong…”⁣

But Elder Cook made a wise assessment: 

“Joseph’s time in Liberty Jail demonstrates that adversity is not evidence of the Lord’s disfavor nor a withdrawal of His blessings.”⁣

If we look at the physical trajectory of Joseph’s life, it doesn’t really look awesome. ⁣

A humble farmer boy. A poor young couple, accepting financial support from others. Moving to Ohio and getting a little more established. Being beat up by a mob. Reputation ruined by false rumors. Serious financial distress. Forced to move to Missouri with a hopeful promise for the future. Hope quickly being turned to conflict and fear. Arrested and stuck in a miserable jail for months. ⁣

This trajectory looks terrible, honestly. ⁣

But as with virtually everything, the Lord looks on the heart. ⁣

What was the trajectory of Joseph’s heart throughout his life?⁣

Consistent spiritual enlightenment. Moments with the Divine. Priesthood power. Peace and certainty. Forgiveness and meekness. A growing love and concern for all. Teaching others and sharing his light. Inspired scriptures that have touched millions. Peace and comfort found in a miserable little jail cell. ⁣

Our physical circumstances have virtually no indication of how blessed we are. ⁣

It’s all about the status of the heart. ⁣

Has your heart been growing, softening, turning to the Lord throughout your life?⁣

Then I might humbly suggest that you are living a very blessed life indeed, just like the prophet Joseph.

⁣Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Joseph’s terrible trajectory first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

They love rolling out the different colored play-dohs, pressing them into molds, and folding them into “tacos”. ⁣

Things tend to get pretty messy.

Despite their best efforts to clean up, a few hours after they play with play-doh, I inevitably find little “tacos” that fell underneath the table.

The pieces are a little crusty around the edges, but I usually try to squish them back into a container. ⁣

But after repeating this too many times, the play-doh becomes hardened to the point that I have to throw it away. ⁣

It doesn’t usually happen all at once. It’s a gradual process, becoming just a little more difficult to mold each time. ⁣

Whereas the play-doh that’s been put away nicely each time is still perfectly moldable. ⁣

It might be a silly analogy, but to me it’s the perfect representation of how our hearts and desires can change over time. ⁣

We are all little balls of clay that are being exposed to the harsh air of mortality –

We’re naturally going to start to harden around the edges if we aren’t put away in a secure container. ⁣

We are given two choices: ⁣

Repent.

Or become hardened. ⁣

“Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest.” (Alma 12:34)

When we keep repenting and changing, we allow those little rough bits to be picked out. ⁣

We show that we are willing to continue being molded into something better than the “taco” we might harden into.

(I know, tacos are fantastic. But we can become even better than tacos, imagine that!)

So what are we doing to prevent our hearts from naturally hardening? ⁣

Exposing our minds to harsh worldly entertainment, constant debates on social media, or rude attitudes will eventually keep us from being molded as easily. ⁣

And the key to preventing this?⁣

Constant repentance. CONSTANT repentance. ⁣

Constantly changing and constantly being molded into something new at the hands of our Savior.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Play-doh tacos first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Camp Ritchie is right by a lake, and surrounded by a majestic forest.

But its most defining features are the large granite boulders.

They are everywhere!

They serve as seats, steps, pathways, foundations, and places to repel down.

Each of my six years attending camp there, I could count on the granite boulders to be there.

They didn’t change.

I remember a leader of mine telling our group on a warm, starry night that she was grateful Christ was the immovable, unchanging foundation of her testimony, just like the rocks that were always waiting in the same place, year after year, at Camp Ritchie.

But I was never the same girl up at camp.

I think of 12-year-old Cali running into camp looking for a good time.

I think of 14-year-old Cali walking into camp with some big questions about whether God was real or not.

I think of 16-year old Cali hoping camp would give her some direction and peace, expecting answers with a sure testimony.

I changed so much at and between girls’ camps.

And the boulders stayed the same.

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart… and I will give you an heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

We don’t want stony, stagnant hearts.

Hearts that stay the same over the years.

Hearts that “are just the way that they are”.

We want moldable hearts of real flesh, that grow and change and feel and love and hurt and heal.

But all this change is only possible because of the steadfast, unchanging rock of our redeemer.

He is the rock we can depend on to remove the stony places from our heart.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

Now, after coming back from Disneyland I think it actually is a really interesting question to ponder.

I’ve heard many people say something along the lines of:

“Having lots of money just makes you more of who you already are.”

And I think I agree with this.

If you are just barely scraping by financially right now, but you still pay your tithing and help a neighbor out when they need a meal, then you would likely be a wealthy person who still pays their tithing and is able to help out people in much more dramatic ways.

And if you are living well right now, but stingy with giving away any money, then it’s probably likely that you would find reasons to be stingy with your money when you had a lot of it, too.

The Lord says something along the same lines in D&C 56:16-17:

“Wo unto you rich men, that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls….

“Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite”.

So, if both the rich and the poor are getting warnings from the Lord here, what can we do to make sure we are doing as we should?

The Lord answers that in verse 18:

The “pure in heart, whose hearts are broken, and whose spirits are contrite”.

In other words, we need to have a soft heart!

If our hearts are broken and humbled before the Lord, then it doesn’t matter what our bank account looks like.

Rich and poor people can be prideful with hardened hearts.

And rich and poor people can be humbled, with soft hearts.

The status of our bank account doesn’t matter nearly as much as the status of our heart.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Rich and poor, pure in heart first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I know a lot of people have different opinions on why some people are considered “elect” or “chosen”, and we could dive into some deeeeeep doctrine if we wanted to.

But I want to keep it simple with a little phrase that jumped out to me in D&C 29:7.

“Mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts”.

When I’ve read this before, I’ve thought that the Lord was just mentioning what characteristics elect people have.

But… what if THAT is what makes people “elect”?

What if people are elect and chosen BECAUSE they choose to:

• Hear the Lord’s voice

• Not harden their hearts when they hear His voice

God pours out extra blessings and gives service opportunities to those who are willing to hear Him with a soft and willing heart.

What do you think?

I think these are interesting points to ponder as we look forward to General Conference in just one week.

Are we going to listen?

Or if we can’t listen live for any reason, will we make it our top priority to listen/read as soon as we can?

And as we listen to the words being spoken, will we try to connect with the spirit and really, truly #hearHim?

Will we approach each message with a “Lord, is it I?” mindset, ready to change in any way we are inspired, even if it is unexpected?

Will we keep a soft heart?

I really think that these qualities are what make people elect.

Part of the chosen House of Israel, being gathered together unto Him:

Those who are willing to listen to what God has to say.

Those who make it a priority to listen, even when it is difficult.

Those who hear difficult commandments and soften their hearts in response.

Those who are always looking for ways to improve and to draw closer to Christ.

We can all choose to be part of God’s elect.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post One of God’s elect first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.