Some people need to take trips to 'find themselves.' Sometimes this is a simple walk through the park alone, others have to go through a crisis of biblical proportions, others travel around the world... yes, that would be me (or these guys* www.twotalltravelers.com). But whatever you have to go though, overcome, or get to (or away from) the end result is discovery. With it comes an overwhelming sense that "this is who I am and this is my place in the big picture." It's a kind of revelation. Now imagine discovering yourself in Iraq - literally. For some of us this may not be such a stretch of the imagination. Yet, you are not in a war zone like it is today. In fact you are coming out of one as a P.O.W. and are now in Babylon. Not the ruins that it is today, but the center of a vast Empire at it's height. And by some act of grace you find yourself as a servant of the King. This is the life of Daniel.
Now Daniel wasn't destined to be Daniel. His name was actually changed to Belteshazzar. He went from being a 'Judge of God' to a 'Prince of Bel' (the local deity). A new name, a new life. He wasn't an exiled Jew anymore. He was a Babylonian civil-servant. A new life, a new reality. Bye-bye vassal state Jerusalem, hello super-power Babylon. And it was there that Daniel was to lose his God-given identity. At least that was the plan. That was how the 'system' worked. Yet a bigger Plan was unfolding. A grain of wheat was dying. And a deeper principle was sprouting - You have to lose your life to find it.
Jesus would echo this. He would also add to it - "you must take up your cross and follow Me. "
And that's exactly how Daniel became Daniel. You see this story is not about losing yourself, but finding it. It took Babylon to bring out the Daniel in Daniel. It took the anti-God Empire to sprout a seed in a quite heart. And Daniel simply held on to what he knew of his God. And he began to take simple stands in simple things. He did not bend to the Empire, but bowed before the Lord Almighty. And that is how Daniel 'found himself' in Babylon.
Where will you find yourself? Hopefully it won’t take a trip to Iraq to make that discovery. For most of us Babylon is right outside your door. It’s that place where you are given a label whether you like it or not. It’s the set of expectations to be ‘this’ or ‘that’ you never asked for. It’s the pressure of the group. For some it’s the treasured reputation you have keep up for years. It has been polished and refined to deceptive perfection. It’s the facade, the fortress, the false front that you hope no one will notice, penetrate or discover. Babylon is whatever clouds, renames, or steals you away from being who God made you to be and do.
So take a trip to Babylon. I hear it’s nice this time of year. Don’t forget to pack your cross. And when you get there make sure not to forget your name. Remember - you have to lose your life if you want to find it.
* www.twotalltravelers.com is the blog of Sammy - an Austrian friend who is on a 5 month journey around the world...we all hope he ‘finds himself’ before he gets back :)
