The past two general conferences brought a profound phrase to my attention: “degree of difficulty.” By my observation, it was used three times in the April 2025 conference (in back-to-back talks) and once in the October 2025 conference.
A deeply inspiring truth lies behind these words: We are all known, loved, and judged individually by a God who knows our circumstances perfectly. In other words, God knows what you are up against.
Knowing that truth brings peace to my heart and helps me see others through more loving eyes.
How the Phrase Was Used in Conferences This Year
Sister Tamara W. Runia of the Young Women General Presidency explained the phrase this way:
“I grew up taking diving lessons and learned that when judges score a dive, they watch the execution. Was the entry perfectly vertical, with toes pointed and a small splash? Then they do something extraordinary. They factor in the degree of difficulty.
“Everyone is diving with their own degree of difficulty. And your Savior is the only one who truly knows the difficulty you are diving with. I want a relationship with the one person who gets me, who knows my heart and how hard I’m trying!”
She later added that while serving as mission leaders, she and her husband would ask each departing missionary this profound question: “If you could hear the Savior praying for you, what do you think He would say?”
“Every one of those missionaries would pause, and tears would fill their eyes as we reminded them, ‘Your Savior knows the degree of difficulty you’re experiencing. He’s felt it!’” she explains.
After Sister Runia finished, Bishop Gérald Caussé was next up at the pulpit—and he used the phrase again. He said,
“Because God is both just and merciful and His plan is perfect, He will not hold us accountable for things beyond our control. Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained that ‘God … takes into merciful account not only our desires and our performance, but also the degrees of difficulty which our varied circumstances impose upon us.’”
And in the most recent general conference, Sister J. Anette Dennis of the Relief Society General Presidency told the story of Orville Rogers, who competed in a track and field competition for senior citizens. Orville came in last in every race he ran that day, yet he broke five world records. Sister Dennis explained,
“Orville didn’t break any rules, and the officials didn’t lower any standards. He ran the same race and fulfilled the same requirements as all the other competitors. But his degree of difficulty—in this case, his age and limited physical capacity—was factored in by placing him in the 100-plus age division. And in that division, he broke five world records.”
Then, Sister Dennis makes this tender connection between our lives and Orville’s story:
“Just as it took Orville great courage to step out on that track each time, it also takes great courage for some of our sisters and brothers to step into the arena of life every day, knowing they may be judged unfairly even though they’re doing the best they can against daunting odds to follow the Savior and honor their covenants with Him.”
How the Phrase Inspires Me
I hope that remembering that everyone faces a different degree of difficulty makes me a more compassionate person. Most of the time, we don’t know what people have been through in their lives that may be the cause of their actions or attitudes today. Living with the assumption that everyone is doing their best may help us be more Christlike.
Considering my own degree of difficulty helps me love myself more, too. This isn’t about excusing my flaws because this is “just the way I am.” This is about being patient with myself while I work with the Savior to overcome my weaknesses. He is perfectly aware of my circumstances. He can help me on a deeply individual level, a level no one else can understand.
As Bishop Caussé said so well:
“I testify that while many circumstances in life may be beyond our control, none of us is beyond the reach of the Lord’s infinite blessings. Through His atoning sacrifice, the Savior will compensate for every inability and injustice if we offer our whole souls to Him.”
Carry on the conference spirit
Journals will begin shipping in November.
More articles for you:
▶ The general conference journal: your new favorite way to study
▶ A seminary teacher’s secret to helping your family love scripture study
▶ Elder Gong’s advice to a young man worried about getting to heaven
