Scripture: Daniel 1:8
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, cheap and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.

Thought for the Day: Even when imprisoned, surrounded by a foreign culture and commanded to conform to their ways, Daniel resists. He maintains his faith and follows the ancient dietary laws. He maintains faith in the One God of Israel. In the midst of an oppressive regime, Daniel refuses to compromise his faith and his values. He’d rather starve than eat what he considers “defiled food.”

This is all a metaphor, of course, for the dangers of a global culture that threatens to wipe out individuality. The Babylonians marched across the ancient world and thrust their cultural stories, food, music, dance, art and fashion on those they conquered. Unlike the Romans, who generally let the conquered civilizations do what they wanted, the Babylonians were all about assimilation.

Yet Daniel has the faith in God to resist, to fight the power. It’s a story that occurs time and again in the Bible: the subversives, the radicals, the misfits of society are the ones with such deep faith, that they become God’s effective and important tools for change.

Prayer: May I always be guided by your insight, Holy God, so that when it’s necessary, I’ll have the strength to stand up against conformity in all its subtle and dangerous forms. Amen.