Dallas Jenkins of The Chosen speaks at BYU

Dallas Jenkins, creator of “The Chosen,” urged Brigham Young University (BYU) students on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, to embrace failure and trust in God’s plan for them.

His forum message to a packed audience at the Marriott Center focused on his own experiences with failure, particularly the disappointing performance of his film “The Resurrection of Gavin Stone” in January 2017. Despite high hopes and significant support, the film performed poorly at the box office. Jenkins questions his path and his purpose.

“God is not the author of failure. We've been told this our whole lives. And I failed,” he admitted, reflecting on the emotional and spiritual turmoil that followed.

A turning point came when Jenkins received an unexpected message from a friend. The message was inspired by the biblical story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish. “Remember,” said his friend, “it is not your job to feed the 5,000; It’s just a matter of providing the loaves and fishes.”

This touched Jenkins deeply and helped him refocus and trust in God's plan. This principle, which emphasizes the importance of doing one's best and leaving the results to God, became a guiding force in his life and work.

Jenkins also recounted the miraculous success of The Chosen, which has four seasons available to watch online. He attributed this achievement to divine intervention and the support of an engaged global community. “(At the beginning of the project) we knew even more than ever that if God was going to take us on this journey, it would be his journey and not mine,” Jenkins said.

A third of “The Chosen” will be filmed on the film set of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Goshen, Utah, Jenkins said.

During his address, Jenkins encouraged students to embrace failure and have faith in a higher purpose.

“Whether in failure or success, the message is the same: When you bake your five loaves and two fishes… and He deems it worthy to accept, the transaction is finished,” he advised, urging them to find peace and peace in their efforts Finding meaning, regardless of the outcome. “I implore you, starting now: Do not wait until you are in your 40s (like me) for God to break you down and bring you to your knees to surrender. Start now to get to that place—actually, that superpower—that comes from giving it to God. It's not your job to feed the 5,000; it’s just a matter of providing loaves and fishes.”

The full address can be found at byutv.org.