Imagine Moses. He has freed his people from slavery only to wander 40 years in the desert. He has quelled his disgruntled followers with manna from heaven and brought order from chaos with the Ten Commandments. But he dies before he can lead his people down from Mt. Nebo into the promised land. In the end, did he feel like a failure?
It's important to note that the ascent of Mt. Nebo is very gradual. We drove from Amman south to Mt. Nebo on a very gradual slope that seemed almost flat. As we travelled, it almost seemed like we weren't making much headway. It was only when we reached the monument to Moses at the top of Mt. Nebo and looked over the edge, did we realize how far we had come.
Granted, it helps that we were looking down at the Dead Sea, which is below sea level and one of the lowest places on earth. Nevertheless, the trip and the view at the end reminded me of our own journey through life.
As we travel through life, we forget to notice how far we have come, or how high we've climbed. We place almost impossible goals before ourselves without realizing how much we have already achieved. And this warped definition of our own journey, and how we measure our progress, can throw us out of balance. It can lead to feelings of failure.
So try a quick exercise. On a piece of paper, write two goals for the week. Write two more for the month. And write two more for the year. Make the goals realistic, achievable and NOT NEGATIVE, like losing weight, but something POSITIVE, like eating healthy or doing something nice for a friend. Put your goals in a safe place and review them at each designated time. Then, in all likelihood, give yourself a pat on the back. You've come farther than you thought you could.
In the story in the Bible, we hear how Moses was allowed to look into the Promised Land, but was not allowed to enter. My only hope is that, before Moses died, he was able to take a look back as well - and see just how far he had come.
