“At Mount Nebo, the Lord said to Moses, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob… I will give it to your descendants; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” – Deuteronomy 34: 1-4

Forty years in Scripture might really be longer. It literally means “a long period of time.”

Lawyers know that life imprisonment refers to 40 years and when we speak of one generation, that is equivalent to 40 years.

If Moses walked in the wilderness for 40 years before the people entered the promised land, it means that one generation was lost before another generation was able to enter it. Bakit kailangan ubusin? Para hindi bitbitin ang lumang kaugalian.

Can you imagine, you have been looking for a place for 40 years and when you are already in the threshold and God says, “I have let you see it with your own eyes but you shall not cross over.”

How would you feel about it? You might become frustrated, even mad. After trying to pursue something, by nature we would want to reward ourselves.

But Moses did not cross over. Why? Because sometimes we are called to be faithful and not to be successful.

That makes life difficult.

Perhaps it is good to ask ourselves, how often do we insist on getting what we want?

What is the difference between SUCCESSFUL and HAPPY people? Successful people get what they want. Happy people want what they get.

Are you happy with your life? Are you happy with your job? What makes life burdensome is that we want to be successful and not to be faithful.

Mothers are hurt more by a disrespectful son or daughter than an unsuccessful son or daughter. God is more hurt by unfaithful people than unsuccessful people.

Every story in Christian life is a story of faithfulness and never of success. Jesus’ story is a story of faithfulness, and not success. Moses’ story is one of faithfulness, and not success.

Mount Nebo invites us to ask for the grace to be faithful in all things, in our all our little promises.