Solitude in the pit

Monday – Holy Week

Daniel is one character from the Old Testament that remains predominantly the lore of children’s stories. I remember singing with my kids the catchy children’s songs when the lessons would come home from Sunday School. Daniel as a character for adults though is not often considered. The story is colorful, full of wonderful descriptions and has a clear moral lesson…be true to God and God will rescue the faithful.

In reading today, I have to admit my white point of view, when I never considered (as the book reminds us) how slave spirituals would hold up Daniel as a man of God and hope for their desperate situations.

In our world today (and especially with so much news coming at us 24 hours a day with the most salacious details getting national news) people who live with integrity and follow as God commands are not lifted up at all.

Two quotes from author Havercamp stood out to me today:

“The story of Daniel is about being who God made us to be and knowing that we can be punished for being faithful—punished, in a way, for being our truest selves.” 

and

“In reality, dark nights and lion’s dens rarely have just, simple or happy endings. And yet, when we’re facing down the forces of death and destruction in our lives or communities and feeling trapped in a solitude we did not choose, we like Daniel, can hope to hold onto our identity and our faith in the midst of great threat, to survive with trust in God’s ultimate power and with our integrity intact.”

On this Monday of Holy Week, I am mindful of the drama that swirled around Jesus in Jerusalem. He remained his true self, despite the Hosannas that rang on Palm Sunday, and the temple cleansing that occurred the day after his triumphal entry. Jesus’ integrity remained intact.

Daniel’s integrity remained intact.

As citizens of this country, we are called to have our collective integrity intact.

But perhaps even more importantly, as citizens whose true home is with our creator, our faith in Jesus calls to each of us as Christians to remain faithful to all that God asks of us.

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Such simple words, but living them fully takes everything we have. We may be thrown in the pit, but God will be with us, and frankly, that is everything.