Brothers and sisters, in this Church, 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.
Clark G. Gilbert, "Becoming More in Christ: The Parable of the Slope", General Conference, October 2021
This is something I struggle with and something I need to remember. When I trip and fall I tend to think that I have to go back to the beginning and start again. Like when my character dies in a video game, I have to go back to the beginning and try again to not die.
I guess it depends on if I just stumble or if I actually fall on my face. Either way, my mentality is such that I'm very hard on myself and, maybe, I just expect to start over. Kind of like needing to be baptized again to make me clean...again.
But Christ doesn't see it that way. He just expects me to get back up and start moving forward once again, not go back to the beginning too. We have the sacrament to do exactly what being baptized again would do.....wash and make us clean.....again and again.
Mortal life, in this phase of the plan, is difficult. It is very, very short in duration compared to the rest of the Plan of Salvation, but it has a tremendous impact on where we spend the duration of the remainder of God's plan after this mortal life. I guess that's why I am so hard on myself. I understand the significance of this life.
But I also need to better understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I need to better trust Him and what He did for me. He knows that I will stumble and even fall on my face. He already knows that... it's not a surprise to Him. But He made it so when I do fall, I can repent and change and recommit myself and keep moving forward. And that...is the exact reason the Plan of Salvation, particularly this phase of it, was created in the first place.
Because of the Fall of Adam, I, too, will fall. But because of Christ, I can get up and keep walking forward, starting from the exact spot I fell. There is no reason to start over each time.