The perfect place to begin is exactly where you are right now. It doesn’t matter how unqualified you may think you are or how far behind others you may feel. The very moment you begin to seek your Heavenly Father, in that moment, the hope of His light will begin to awaken, enliven, and ennoble your soul. The darkness may not dissipate all at once, but as surely as night always gives way to dawn, the light will come.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Hope of God’s Light", General Conference, April 2013
Sometimes I think that I am so far behind in this race that I'll never get through it.
A couple of thoughts come to mind...
One, the only way to know that I am behind in the first place is if I compare where I am at with someone else who is ahead of me.
I am not running this race to beat someone else to the finish line. It does not matter how slowly I can run this race. The only thing that matters is that I'm moving in the direction of the finish line. How fast I get there is of no concern. If I'm on the track in the first place, and I am facing the right direction, even if I trip and stumble, I will be fine as long as I get up and desire to keep moving.
The second thought... I do not have to cross the finish line first in order for God to help me now. His blessings, His help, Christ's light is available to me as soon as I face the right way and start moving. Even if I can't move, just wanting to move forward is sufficient for Christ to step in and help me move forward.
Darkness cannot coexist with light. It cannot overcome the light. The very moment I face the right direction is like lighting a small candle. The candle cannot light itself. It takes action on my part.
The light will allow me to see directly around me. Then, as I begin to move, that light will begin to illuminate my surroundings, then it will illuminate everything beyond that, then it will illuminate all until there is no darkness whatsoever.
"That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." - D&C 50:24