I was paying attention… then I zoned out. ⁣

And then he finished the training. ⁣

“Any questions?” ⁣

Purely to protect my pride, I said “Nope, that all sounds great!”⁣

But I had no clue what to do for most of the tasks. ⁣

I’ve found this dichotomy interesting to reflect on:⁣

My supervisor did exactly what he was supposed to do. ⁣

He taught me everything. He was very kind. ⁣

But I had completely disengaged as a learner, and it was reflected in how much help I needed the first few days of the job. ⁣

Had he failed his training because I struggled? ⁣

I don’t think so. ⁣

A lot of emotions run through my mind when I read this statement in the Family: A Proclamation to the World:⁣

“Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.”⁣

But one thing I’ve been focused on is: ⁣

The effectiveness of my teaching is not always reflected in how well the students learn. ⁣

Both the teacher and the learner need to be willing in order for true understanding to occur. ⁣

This doesn’t excuse poor or half-hearted teaching, but it takes away our complete dependence on results in order to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching. ⁣

We, as parents, are asked to teach our children how to love, to serve, to work hard, and to keep the commandments. ⁣

Not to make them be loving, service-filled, hard-working, commandment-keepers. ⁣

We have a solemn responsibility to teach as well as we possibly can, pleading with the Lord to know exactly what our children might need from us. ⁣

Nothing more and nothing less.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post My job training failure first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

The Lord had called him to be Joseph Smith’s new scribe, writing down all of his revelations.

John happily accepted this assignment!

But then the Lord called John to also take over as the Church historian.

This was going to be different.

Instead of John just writing down what the prophet dictated to him, John was now being asked to come up with his own words.

John told Joseph he didn’t want to take on the role of historian.

But… he also told Joseph to pray about it.

If the Lord told Joseph again that John needed to accept this calling, he would.

Doctrine and Covenants section 47 was the answer that Joseph received as he took it to the Lord again.

And the answer was: “Behold, it is expedient in me that my servant John should write and keep a regular history . . . it shall be given him, inasmuch as he is faithful, by the Comforter, to write these things.” (D&C 47:1, 4)

John accepted the calling and faithfully recorded the Church history.

But he wasn’t alone in this endeavor.

The Comforter, the Spirit, was promised to help John write the history as long as he had faith.

Just like John did, we can cling to the promise that the Lord’s Spirit will be with us as we choose to willingly accept where we are called to serve.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post I would rather not  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“But you are being called because the Lord knows you are willing to serve. And He loves to call people who have a desire serve.”⁣

I’ll never forget when the member of the Stake presidency said this to my husband.

There was no pretentiousness. ⁣

No holier-than-thou back-patting for his new calling. ⁣

It was just -⁣

You have a desire to serve.

The Lord needs someone who is willing to serve. ⁣

So let’s have you serve in this certain capacity for a while. ⁣

Such a cool way to look at callings, right?⁣

We have to accept a calling, meaning we have to signify that we are willing.⁣

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be unto you; and if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation.” (D&C 6:8)

But what about when we don’t have an official calling? Or we want something more than what we’ve been assigned?

If we desire, we can be the means of doing much good in this generation. ⁣

We can talk with God. ⁣

And figure out what we can do.

And let’s be real— our calling can sometimes seem so unimportant. ⁣

So ordinary. ⁣

So mundane. ⁣

Because we don’t see the way God sees. ⁣

The act of service that your little kid will never remember is adding more love into the world and making their life more peaceful. ⁣

The little moment of patience just taught a future leader how to problem-solve on their own. ⁣

The text you sent to a friend that led to a short, unimportant conversation answered their prayers in a way you will never understand.⁣

If we have desires,⁣

If we are willing,⁣

The Lord will use us to accomplish much good. ⁣

So much good. ⁣

And sometimes we have no clue how much good we are creating. ⁣

Only God knows all of it. ⁣

But if we have desires, and we do the best we can, we will put so much good into the world.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post No pretentiousness first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Wasn’t making me a more Christlike person at all.

I had a really poor attitude about this particular calling.

I mean, I actually performed my duties very well.

I was on the ball.

I probably looked like I was “fulfilling my calling” perfectly from the outside.

But on the inside?

I felt resentful, annoyed, and prideful.

Months went by.

At our next stake conference, someone gave a simple talk about serving with “real intent” in our hearts.

Mormon actually summed up this lesson when he said, “. . . except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing.” (Moroni 7:6)

As I listened to this random talk at a stake conference, I felt personally called out by the Spirit.

I knew that if I changed my attitude and tried to have real intent in my calling, I could be uplifted by it.

I worked really hard to have a change of heart.

My calling did not change—

In fact, I kept it for another year.

But it worked!

Slowly but surely, fulfilling my calling became a source of joy, connection, love, and overwhelming experiences with the Spirit.

It took hard work.

But switching from being resentful to trying to serve the Lord with “real intent” completely changed my outlook on service in the Church.

“When we recognize God’s hand in our calling and serve with all our hearts, additional power comes into our service, and we become true servants of Jesus Christ.” – Carl B. Cook

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post I was a grouch 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.

“When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power.” – President Ezra Taft Benson⁣

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” (1 John 5:3)

Or are they our quest and our desire? ⁣

I think this is a HUGE step in our spiritual maturity. ⁣

For me, my spiritual maturity has followed my physical maturity. ⁣

As a teenager, I remember seeing the commandments as lists of things that I can’t do and things that I should do. ⁣

I can’t see that movie. I have to go to church. I should be reading my scriptures. I shouldn’t listen to that music. I should be nice to everyone. ⁣

For me, I feel that each commandment has taken its own journey. ⁣

Watching bad movies slowly moved from being something I shouldn’t do to something that I have no desire to have in my life because I don’t want certain images or words in my mind. It’s literally not even a temptation for me anymore. ⁣

It ceased to be grievous and an irritant and began to be something I naturally and willingly do. ⁣

But there are other commandments where I still know I need to build my spiritual maturity. ⁣

I should reach out naturally and willingly to the people around me. And sometimes I do! I feel pure love and concern and reach out and serve! ⁣

But other times, I turn into a spiritual teenager and revert back to doing things because I should.

What a great concept that John asks us to reflect on!⁣

Which commandments are grievous to you right now?

How can we build that spiritual maturity and learn to love and seek after these commandments?⁣

As with many things, I think the answer is Jesus Christ. And I think John would agree with me in these chapters. ⁣

When we turn to our Savior more and more often, we gain His love for the people around us and we lose the desire to be “of the world”. ⁣

The Savior is our answer to building that spiritual maturity.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The grievous commandments  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Stephen knows a thing or two about sacrifice.

He is known as the first martyr following Jesus’s resurrection. ⁣

He sacrificed his life because he would not move from what he believed. ⁣

So what have you had to sacrifice?

Friends?

A certain lifestyle?

Family?

Money?

Time?

Energy? ⁣

It’s a sacrifice to be “all in” with this gospel.

Sometimes we get a nice groove going, where we are focused on the fun and joy.

And other times we are painfully aware of what we are sacrificing. ⁣

But here’s where I think Stephen teaches us a valuable lesson. ⁣

His last words were:

“Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.”⁣ (Acts 7:60)

Stephen sacrificed with a spirit of forgiving and love. ⁣

We are all sacrificing…

But HOW are we sacrificing?⁣

Is it with resentment?

It is longing for things we are missing?

Is it self-pitying or self-righteous?⁣

Or do we GLADLY sacrifice? ⁣

Out of love for the Lord and for those around us.

Not holding resentment for anyone.

Maybe even forgiving others for forcing us down paths that require a lot of sacrifice. ⁣

“The more I cheerfully respond to difficult circumstances with faith in the Lord, the more I grow in my discipleship.” —Elder Isaac K. Morrison

I want to follow noble Stephen’s lead in taking whatever comes my way, joyfully sacrificing whatever needs to be sacrificed out of love for God, and freely forgiving those who force the sacrifice upon me.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post How do you sacrifice with joy like Stephen?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Purple play-doh plates, yellow balls of play-doh food, and giant globs of play-doh apple juice that my son insisted everyone sip.

They love play-doh.

Probably because it can become any kind of toy that they want it to be.

Play-doh does whatever my kids want it to do.

“We are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)

Did anyone else catch the big theme of having WILLING hearts this past weekend in general conference?!

One of the scariest moments of my life was when I felt a strong prompting, confirmed in the temple, and confirmed over and over in other small ways, to quit my job.

I told Heavenly Father how much I loved my job.

But I also started to feel this willingness to do as He invited.

Slowly, I stopped telling Him how much I loved my job and instead told Him I would do what He would ask me to do to become the person only He knew I could be.

It was still scary to quit my job.

But I was willing to do it.

It was one of the biggest times I’ve felt that molding happen all at once in a dramatic way, but I actually know that my life has been filled with tiny, quieter little pinches, pulls, and folds along the way.

God isn’t looking for perfectly shaped masterpieces.

He just wants us to be clay instead of stone, and He’ll take care of the rest.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Clay in the potter’s hand first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It was over a year ago now, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

“I know everyone says that bishops aren’t perfect, but I didn’t realize they would call someone so normal like us!”

“Oh no, we are going to be judged a lot.”

“This isn’t a convenient time in our life.”

“Will I ever see my husband again?”

“Hey this actually might be a lot of fun!”

… and a lot more weird, conflicting thoughts.

But it’s like our stake president could read my mind as we sat there in his office, processing the call.

He very wisely said:

“The Lord didn’t call you guys because you are perfect. Or even near-perfect. The Lord has called you because you are willing to serve.”

Prophets, apostles, bishops, RS presidents, counselors, leaders of any kind throughout time have never claimed to be perfect.

I’ve loved reading in the Old Testament this year about flawed, VERY FLAWED, humans that God used to spread His message and accomplish miracles.

But He was able to use them because they were WILLING to serve.

Isaiah, the man that we often revere as some kind of special guy who could spout off powerful prophecy that is complicated and deeply spiritual, felt unworthy for his call, too!

He felt so inadequate.

But then the Lord cleansed Isaiah from his sins, and he had a change of heart:

“I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)

Now Isaiah was ready to accept the call.

Not because he no longer had any weaknesses or desire to sin.

Not because he would always make good decisions in the future.

But because he was now willing to accept the call.

That’s all God really wants from us.

Willing moms and dads, not perfect moms and dads.

Willing ministering brothers and sisters.

Willing missionaries.

Willing musicians.

Willing scriptorians.

Willing hearts.

He wants you, not in some future, perfected state.

But exactly as you are right now, if you are willing to give your heart to Him.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Bishops and willing hearts first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It was early, it was outside, and I had a million other things to do.

When I arrived, I was disappointed to learn that none of my friends from my ward had even showed up, even though they said they would.

Sooooo I spent the rest of the activity performing service with a not-so-great attitude.

Annoyed that I had come, tired, cold, and a little bit sore from all the hard work.

Clearly, I was missing the entire point of the service activity, and my heart certainly was not happy.

The Lord taught the Israelites to serve the poor and needy in their community.

“Thou shalt surely give him, and thine hearth shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him”. (Deuteronomy 15:10)

We are asked to give freely to those who are need, which is so important.

But we also need to make sure our hearts are not grieved, annoyed, or resentful when we give service.

So would it have been better to just sleep in that Saturday morning and not go to the service project? (Like all my friends decided to do?!)

I don’t think so.

Service was still performed. Someone else got to feel gratitude for a lightened load. The leaders who had organized it didn’t have to sacrifice as much time away from their families because so many youth bailed.

And it has now become an anchor learning opportunity for me about how NOT to perform service.

(But just to be clear, that was not an immediate lesson I learned. Reflection and growth take time and maturity!)

I still try to show up to things, even when I don’t totally feel like it because I know at least other people’s loads get lightened.

But it’s so much better when I prepare my heart and mind with love beforehand!

Giving with a happy and willing heart makes all the difference.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Happy heart to serve first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.