The Church published a new Inspirational Message video on Thursday, May 25, that illustrates a principle from Elder Clark G. Gilbert’s October 2021 general conference message in a unique way.
Elder Gilbert, a General Authority Seventy, spoke in that conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about direction mattering more than a starting point in life.
“In the Lord’s timing, it is not where we start but where we are headed that matters most,” Elder Gilbert said.
The five-minute video shows hand art being created as two hands move sand around a table to create a series of images that includes slopes, scales, a compass and the Savior as Elder Gilbert explains his “Parable of the Slope.”
“It would be wrong to ignore your circumstances,” Elder Gilbert says in the video. “They are real and need to be addressed.
“But overfocusing on a difficult starting point can cause it to define you and even constrain your ability to choose.”
In his conference message, Elder Gilbert referenced the April 2021 general conference talk from Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles where Elder Renlund taught how the Savior’s Atonement can help individuals make sense of “Infuriating Unfairness.”
Elder Gilbert both encourages those who may find themselves in a challenging situation and also urges those who are in a more comfortable situation to work on moving toward the Savior.
“Focusing on a high starting point can often trap us in the feeling that we are thriving, when in fact, our inner slope may be quite stagnant.”
Neither the person who faces hard times nor the person who seems “to have every advantage” can justify not working to “progress along a slope of personal progress,” Elder Gilbert said.
“Whether we start in abundant or difficult circumstances, let us keep our sights and our slopes pointed heavenward. As we do, Christ will lift us to a higher place.”
