Vantage Point

(I was asked to write an article for my High School Alumni Association’s newsletter. Here’s what I shared.)

January is named after Janus, the Roman god who has 2 faces: one looking ahead, the other one looking back. At the beginning of the year we should do the same: plan for the future but also evaluate our past.

Few years ago we visited the Holy Land. We went up a mountain located in Jordan that is high enough to provide a panoramic view of the surrounding areas, including the land known as the Biblical Canaan. As we were enjoying the view, our group’s tour guide was telling us the significance of this place, while another group near us was having a devotional and were singing “I am bound for the Promised Land.”

Where we’re standing was Mount Nebo, the place where God showed Moses the Promised Land. Yet he never set foot on it for he died and was buried in Mount Nebo. Unlike the song, Moses was not “bound for the Promised Land.”

This life is full of disappointments. Perhaps you’re stuck in a job you hate instead of the high-paying job you wanted. Or you’re living a life far from what you dreamed and imagined. We may be “failure” per the world’s standards, but God has a plan and has a higher purpose for us.

When Moses stood there in Mount Nebo, he did not complain on why he was not allowed to enter Canaan. Instead, he humbly accepted God’s plan for him. Moses did not enter the Promised Land, yet God took him to a far better place – in heaven.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

As we stand here in the Mount Nebo of time and look over the horizon of 2026, I pray that this year will be “flowing with milk and honey.” For vegans, “flowing with soymilk and honey.” As we set our goals for this New Year, let’s not forget that our ultimate destination is the heavenly Canaan.

(*first photo was taken in Mount Nebo, Jordan; second photo is at Grand Canyon, Arizona)