Moses is Dead

          “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.  Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

 

This is a favorite passage from the book of Joshua, not just mine. We tend to like to quote it as encouragement for those (others) who are taking leadership roles in an epic quest. But let’s bring it home to ourselves.

Moses was dead. He may have been gone for a month before God spoke to Joshua. At least, God seems to have given the Israelites thirty days to grieve. He may have been issuing orders during that time, but there is at least the possibility that God gave them time between the crisis of Moses’ death and moving forward. This appears to be a pattern God follows. Think of Elijah when he ran away from Jezebel, or Job after he lost everything, Jonah after he preached at Ninevah, the disciples after Jesus died, then after He rose again, and before He ascended. As Kosuke Koyama described God, He often moves at three-and-a-half miles per hour. He “walks” at a reasonable pace. Not everything is a hit-the-ground-running crisis.

The world, and our (my?) natural inclinations, tend toward crisis. Let someone interrupt my day or my flow, and I’m reduced to, “Hi, my name is Karen. Have we met yet?” or “Who am I? Where am I? What was I doing?” One of my drives is to become competent, because “I’m not prepared for emergencies.”  I sometimes manufacture crises out of nothing.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t legitimate events and circumstances in our life that produce situations that parallel the loss of Moses. If you look online, you’ll find some of the following listed as top stressors in life: death, loss, other crises, changes in relationships, incomes, health, and location. I would include starting or completing projects, especially big ones. I’m not going to list the specific stressors I’ve faced over the past 5-10 years, but I will point out that even positive changes can cause stress. Finishing the last book in my first series is something to celebrate, but it’s also a source of stress. It’s not dead, but it’s done. And I’ll add that these things don’t necessarily have expiration dates. Something you “ought to be over” may still be an issue or may show up as an unwanted visitor.

The question isn’t “who died” in your life. Maybe no one did, but something has changed, is changing, or will change. And at some point, you will have to move forward, which will involve your acceptance of the change. This doesn’t mean you are going to celebrate the change (though you might), but moving past denial and choosing to take a step. You might not like the new normal, but it is the new normal.