As I rushed to get ready one morning, everything piled together in my mind.

The list of everything I had to do. The emotions people around me were feeling. The feeling that I would not make it through the day.

This scripture that we’ve been studying this week came to my mind:

“And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs”. (Mosiah 24:14)

⁣I decided that morning to test it.

I knew I still needed to face my problems that day.

But could He really take the FEELING of the burden away without actually solving any of my problems?

I closed my eyes and pictured myself carrying the burdens that seemed to be weighing me down.

And I pictured myself waking humbly up to my Savior…

And setting it all down at His feet.

I said, “I know everything I need to do and manage and handle today.

“But I’m going to leave the feeling of being burdened at your feet.”

I pictured myself walking away, and I took a deep breath.

I felt lighter.

Like, literally, I felt like an actual physical load had been taken off my back.

I said a prayer of gratitude and went on with my day.

My list didn’t change that day, but I was SHOCKED at the miracles that kept piling up.

Like, I said I was going to test this theory with my Savior, and it’s like He was saying “Prove me herewith”.

I can’t list or share all the miracles, but I’ll just say that ONE of them was my ministering sister texting me and telling me that she had “randomly” ordered pizza to be delivered to my home that night.

I floated through that difficult day.

Jesus really means what He says.

If we, who are heavy laden, come to Jesus and really set the weighty, overwhelming feelings down at His feet, He will give us rest.

Not rest in the way you may think or want.

(I’m still hoping I can find time to take a nap in the next couple days, but it’s not looking hopeful…)

But that rest for the soul was all that I really needed.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post He truly gives rest first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Back when we studied Daniel, I really liked the idea of Daniel asking his leader if they would allow Daniel to “prove” the idea of only drinking water and eating pulse, instead of the meat and wine.

After 10 days, it was clear. The concept had been proven perfectly.

And so with this lens, I want to look at this common scripture found in Malachi 3:10:

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

Isn’t that so cool?!

“Prove me now herewith”.

The Lord is essentially saying:

“You don’t believe tithing is a righteous thing to do? Allow Me to prove this to you. Try it. Just give it a chance and I will literally pour blessings out on you.”

I love this principle.

Don’t know why it’s important to keep the Sabbath holy? Allow the Lord to prove it.

Don’t know why we have to put in the work to love people that we don’t really like? Allow the Lord to prove it.

Don’t know why we have prophets that deliver messages from the Lord? Allow the Lord to prove it.

Of course, not with a prideful heart set on the wrong outcome.

But when humbly approach the Lord with a principle we are not sure of, but have the faith to try, I think that the Lord loves to prove Himself and His goodness to us.

Have you had the Lord “prove” a principle to you before?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Prove the Lord  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Growing up, we lived in a house for a while with a giant pebble path in the front yard that led through a garden.

I’m sure it looked beautiful.

But when it rained and weeds started popping up in between every little pebble on the pathway, I knew that my mom would make my sisters and me go out and weed.

It was the worst!

President Eyring shared a similar experience about having to weed the garden at their home when he was young, and how frustrated he got with the weeds breaking off in his hands, leaving the roots behind.

“This is too hard!” he would say.

And his mother would respond: “Oh, Hal, of course it’s hard. It’s supposed to be. Life is a test.”

At BYU, I remember taking a final exam for my Physical Science class.

Every time there was a question about the properties of light, I realized I was a little fuzzy on the details. I guessed the best I could and moved on.

At the end of the exam, there were two written response questions.

As I read the first question and started writing my response, something clicked, and I finally remembered the right answer!

I wrote an accurate response for my written answer, and then I spent time going through all the previous questions and changing my answers to fit what I had finally remembered.

In Abraham 3:25, the Lord describes the whole plan: “And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them”.

Life really is a test, to see if we are going to keep the commandments and turn our hearts to God.

But the cool part?

I’m only going to be judged by where I end up.

If I “figure out” the right way to serve better, to love better, to study better, to worship better, halfway through the test, I don’t have to go back through and change all my answers from before.

I get to progress.

And in order to pass the test, to “prove myself”, I just need to reflect on where my heart is right now.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Life really is a test first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.