We believe in the divine potential of all of God's children

and in our ability to become something more in Christ.

In the Lord’s timing, it is not where we start, but where we are headed that matters most. To demonstrate this principle,

I will draw on some basic math.

The intercept for our purposes is the beginning of our line.

The intercept can have either a high or a low starting point.

The slope of the line can then be positively or negatively inclined.

We all have different intercepts in life.

We start in different places with different life endowments.

Some are born with high intercepts full of opportunity.

Others face beginning circumstances that are challenging and seem unfair.

We then progress along slope of personal progress.

Our future will be determined far less by our starting point

and much more by our slope.

Jesus Christ sees divine potential no matter where we start.

He saw it in the beggar, the sinner, and the infirm.

He saw it in the fisherman,

the tax collector, and even the zealot.

No matter where we start,

Christ considers what we do with what we are given.

While the world focuses on our intercept, God focuses on our slope.

In the Lord's calculus, He will do everything He can to help us turn our slopes toward heaven. This principle should give comfort to those who struggle and pause to those who seem to have every advantage.

Let me start by addressing individuals with difficult starting circumstances,

including poverty, access to education, and challenging family situations.

Others face physical challenges, mental health constraints,

or strong genetic predispositions.

For any struggling with difficult starting points,

please recognize that the Savior knows our struggles, took upon Him our infirmities, that His bowels might be filled with mercy,

that He might know how to succor us according to our infirmities.

Let me share two areas of encouragement for those with difficult starting circumstances.

First, focus on where you are headed and not where you began.

It would be wrong to ignore your circumstances. They are real and need to be addressed.

But over focusing on a difficult starting point can cause it to define you and even constrain your ability to choose.

Let me share two areas of counsel for those with elevated starting points.

First, can we show some humility for circumstances we may not have created ourselves?

As former BYU President Rex E. Lee quoted to his students,

“We have all drunk from wells we did not dig and warmed ourselves by fires we did not build.”

He then called on his students to give back and replenish the educational wells that earlier pioneers had built.

Failure to reseed the fields planted by others can be the equivalent of returning a talent without increase.

Second, focusing on a high starting point can often trap us into feeling that we are thriving when in fact our inner slope may be quite stagnant.

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.