What We can Learn from the Story of Moses

(Minghui.org) I recently re-read the story of Moses and gained some insights from it. At 80 years old, he met and spoke with God, who asked him to lead the suffering Israelites out of Egypt. However, Moses doubted his abilities and made numerous excuses about why he couldn’t do it.

As a Falun Dafa practitioner, I have gained a deeper understanding of this story. When the divine chooses a person for specific tasks, he also provides them with the necessary skills. Therefore, that person should not worry about having sufficient abilities, because they manifest when needed. However, Moses did not realize this at the time. The same thing happens to many Falun Dafa practitioners. Master Li, the founder of the practice, has given Dafa disciples supernormal abilities to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution and to assist in saving people. Still, many practitioners are unaware of this.

Moses had a mission from God, and he followed it. During this process, Moses endured a lot for the Israelites (similar to what Dafa practitioners are experiencing now). But human notions got in the way. When witnessing miracles like parting the Red Sea to let the Israelites escape the pursuing Egyptians, they praised and worshipped God. However,when encountering difficulties, they lost confidence and even complained—much like what we see with Dafa practitioners today. Many times, Moses risked his life to protect the Israelites, yet he still did not gain their trust or gratitude. Instead, the Israelites complained, argued, and even threatened to stone Moses to death (similar to some Chinese people’s hatred towards Falun Dafa due to defamatory propaganda from the CCP). At that moment, God intervened, and if Moses had not begged for the Israelites, he would have destroyed them then and there.

Once again, God forgave the Israelites. However, because of their repeated complaints, anyone over 20 years old among the crowd was not allowed to enter the land that God had promised (Canaan). Their children would wander in the desert for 40 years before reaching Canaan. This means, a journedy that should have taken 11 days ended up lasting 40 years.

The Israelites’ complaints prolonged their hardship by 40 years. As Falun Dafa practitioners, I know that some of us also have complaints and even resentment due to human notions like jealousy. This often results in tribulations such as illnesses, and even the loss of life. As for Moses, because he disobeyed God’s words—by striking the rock twice with a staff to get water instead of speaking to the rock—he was not allowed to enter Canaan. This occurred in the 40th year of Moses leading the Israelites to wander in the wilderness.

This story was thought-provoking for me. Moses’s mission from God was to lead the Israelites out of Egypt into the Promised Land, also called Canaan. He followed God’s words diligently, and after experiencing countless pain and suffering, failed at the last moment. I hope Falun Dafa practitioners do not fail in the final days of the Fa-rectification. If Moses had been able to forebear more, and be more considerate, those conflicts and tribulations may have been resolved. I believe we Dafa practitioners should learn from this lesson. We should do the three things well with unconditional faith in Dafa and Master Li.

Many Dafa practitioners have experienced this. With strong righteous thoughts, we can be very capable, especially in helping save people. Doubting our abilities stems from a lack of faith in Dafa and Master. At these moments, we do not truly understand what Fa-rectification Period cultivation practice is.

Dafa practitioners may encounter people who do not know the facts due to the slanderous propaganda from the CCP. When faced with complaints and criticism, we should remain calm and compassionate, learning from Moses. If all of us were able to do so, this persecution might have ended long ago. Therefore, regardless of the situation, we should conduct ourselves well as practitioners. Only then can we improve our xinxing and fulfill our mission.

To help us succeed and save more people, Master has extended the time for Fa-rectification and endured even more for us. We should focus on the big picture and the essence, rather than appearances. It is wrong for us to complain because of human notions, or to doubt Master.

When a practitioner complains about and doubts Master, the process could be prolonged. However, some practitioners are still attached to time. As Master said:

“What’s crucial is how we understand things. Let me ask you, if it would take another ten years to save all sentient beings, would you still do it? (The students reply together, “Yes!”) (Applause) That’s how a Dafa disciple should be. (Applause) Of course, there won’t be another ten years.” (“Teachings From a Tour of North America”)

When reading this passage, some practitioners complained, saying that the process is taking longer than that, and a few even stopped practicing. They were unaware that Master had extended the time because practitioners were not doing well.

We are Fa-rectification Period Dafa disciples, and we are here to help save people. How can we help save people with complaints and resentment in our minds? Additionally, Master has been guiding us on the cultivation path and has eliminated karma for us. How could we not be grateful?

These are my personal opinions. Please let me know if anything conflicts with the Falun Dafa teachings.