I brought it home, and my parents said they wouldn’t give permission — it was a movie with content they didn’t want me watching at 13 years old.

So when all my friends got ready to watch the movie for three class periods in a row, I went to the office and did an alternative activity.

And honestly?

I didn’t mind.

I was used to being different.

There had already been many times in my life where I had made decisions, or my parents had held firm on decisions, that differed from what everyone else was doing.

And also no one in my class gave me any grief about needing to leave (to my face at least!), my friends were still my friends, I was semi-cool and felt included…

It was all good.

One of my favorite minor effects of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that I have gotten very used to NOT doing what everyone else is doing.

I naturally stood out, especially where I grew up, where our religion was a small minority.

From what I chose to wear at my prom, to not attending that Sunday pool party, to sending out wedding invites when my friends from back home thought I was a “child bride”…

I’ve grown comfortable with being different than the world.

The Israelites had a problem:

They really WANTED to be like everyone else.

Each nation has a king who rules them, takes responsibility, and leads them in battle?!

We want that, too!

“That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.” (1 Samuel 8:20)

They weren’t comfortable with being different.

But even deeper than that, they didn’t trust that the Lord’s counsel to NOT have a king outweighed the discomfort of being different from everyone else.

Because when I changed the song on the radio while driving my friends around in high school, it wasn’t for the sake of being different —

It was because I truly believed I didn’t want to invite offensive and inappropriate words and ideas into my mind, which could offend the Spirit.

Being different can be tough — at the end of the day, we all long to feel like we belong and matter in some sort of community.

And if the community we desire to belong to more than anything else is a community of disciples of Christ, then it becomes a lot easier to stand alone, understanding that we are truly not alone when we walk with Him.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Not allowed to watch the movie first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

There are times when I definitely enjoy standing out.

On my graduation day, at a birthday party, my baby shower…

But there are other times that I absolutely do not want to stand out.

Usually when I’m in a large group setting or I don’t know anyone or I feel awkward.

But I’ve learned that when we stick to gospel principles, we naturally stand out.

In fact, our current prophet has encouraged this!

“Embrace being different!” -President Nelson

Do you think it was difficult for Daniel and his brethren to stand out?

I’m sure it was.

It’s easy to romanticize and distance ourselves from this well-known story.

But I bet it wasn’t simple.

When they refused to eat or drink what the other boys were eating and drinking, I bet they got made fun of.

I bet they were ostracized.

I bet people talked about them behind their backs.

It is not fun to stand out in this way.

But what was the end result?

“Among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah”. (Daniel 1:19)

There was no one else like them!

I’m sure that was difficult sometimes to stand out.

But in the end, they stood out in the best way possible.

And they certainly stood out to their Heavenly Father.

For better or for worse, we are going to stand out when we really love the Lord and stick to what He has taught us.

Sometimes the attention feels good, like when your coworker wants to know why you always seem so happy or when someone confides in you because you are always so kind.

But other times, standing out isn’t so naturally comfortable.

Embrace it. Love it. Find confidence in it.

Because even though we may stand out in awkward ways, we will never stand alone.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Stand out  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.