Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandolph: So do
all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we must decide is what to do with the
time given to us.
In the Lord of
the Rings, Frodo is mourning the predicament in which he finds
himself. And for good, reason, mind you.
He in lost in the mines of Moria, on his way to Mount Doom to destroy the ring
of power. He is being hunted by the nine
black riders, who are relentlessly trying to recover the ring for the Lord
Sauron. The white wizard, Saruman, has
also unleashed his Uro’kai to find him and take the ring. Furthermore, a gangly creature, named Gollum,
is stalking the fellowship, looking for the opportunity to steal the ring. Frodo has been stabbed, nearly frozen, and
almost drowned by some lake monster. And
the journey is really just beginning. He
has no idea what perils await him as he draws ever closer to Mordor. It is no
wonder he regrets having possession of this ring.
Gandalf understands
his plight. As a wise old sage, he
offers comfort, “So do all who live to see such times…” and wisdom, “…but that is not for them to decide. All we must decide is what to do with the
time given to us.” Great advice for Frodo.
Great advice for us, as well.
It has been said
that you will live the rest of your life under less than ideal
circumstances. We do not like to hear
that, but it does not make it any less true.
We live on this side of Eden, and until Eden is restored to her former
glory, we must face hardships, tribulations, wars, disappointments, heartbreaks,
sicknesses, and even deaths. It is
simply a fact of life. And from day to
day, we have absolutely no idea what may happen to change the course of our
lives forever. That is why Gandalf’s
advice is so powerful. Allow me to
translate his words by sharing another famous quote, “It’s not what happens to
you, it’s how you respond that matters.”
There are several
heroes throughout history that we could lift up as examples who responded
appropriately to the “less than ideal circumstances” that they encountered on
their respective journeys. Actually, if
you think about it, that is what a hero is, someone who overcomes the “less
than ideal circumstances” opposing him and/or others. Heroes assess a bad situation and determine
to do something about it. And frankly,
the road to victory is not an easy one.
And that’s what makes their stories worth telling.
One such hero is a
man named Daniel, and his story is found in a book called, appropriately enough,
Daniel. Daniel was a young man of
noble blood and a promising future. Yet,
he and several other young men from Israel were taken from their homes and
ordered to serve the King who had besieged their land. Forced to learn the teachings, traditions,
and religions of the pagan kings whom he served, Daniel would spend the rest of
his life as a captive, unable to return home.
Despite this,
Daniel seemed to thrive in a situation that would have disillusioned others. Daniel gained favor with the kings' trusted
servants, and then with the kings themselves.
As the years passed, he gained prominence, position, and even
fortune. Most of all, the name of Daniel’s
God was lifted up and glorified among these pagan kingdoms.
So what did Daniel
exhibit that set him apart? Why did he
gain favor among his captors? It all had
to do with how he conducted himself “under less than ideal circumstances.”
1. Daniel
maintained exemplary character.
We see this in
Daniel 1:8, when he refused to defile himself by eating the king’s meat. There could have been some things on Daniel’s
plate that God had clearly prohibited the children of Israel from eating. Also, the food could have been offered up to
idols before it was served. At any rate,
Daniel wanted no part of anything that would assimilate him into the pagan
culture.
His character is
shown again in Daniel 6, when he continues to pray, even after a decree has
been passed forbidding it.
He could have had
the attitude, “When in Babylon, do what the Babylonians do.” There are many that do. Chameleons, whose color changes with the
crowd. They value expediency,
popularity, or safety over character. Yet
Daniel valued his character above all of these.
Notice I say that
he maintained his character. That is because he had developed his
character before he was in a
situation that demanded it. If you have
questionable character, it will be revealed in a time of testing.
Now, maintaining
exemplary character may sometimes have a price.
It could cost you a promotion, a bonus, a relationship, or fill in the
blank__________________. Yet, those who do
maintain exemplary character gain so much more.
Over time they earn trust and respect. Most importantly, they maintain their
honor and a clear conscience.
2. Daniel
maintained an excellent spirit.
In Daniel 6, a new
king of a different kingdom has assumed power, and he appoints Daniel as one of
his three highest officers. (Now, much
happened between Daniel 1 and Daniel 6.
Read it for yourself.)
Furthermore, we are told that Daniel is preferred above all the rest of
the princes and presidents. This young
man, who was taken captive many years before, the king now wants to set him “over
the whole realm.” Wow! Pretty impressive. Not bad for an exile. So what about Daniel brought about favor from
King Darius? It is because “an excellent
spirit was in him.” (6:3)
Can you think of
someone that you know who has an excellent spirit? How do they conduct themselves? I bet they have a positive, friendly attitude. They have good character and a strong work
ethic. They lift up others. You feel better about yourself after being
around them. And I think that is how
Darius felt when he was around Daniel.
Now remember, we
are talking about having an excellent spirit “under less than ideal circumstances.”
It is easy to maintain an excellent
spirit when all is right with the world.
It is in adversity that this is tested.
How do you respond when someone mistreats you? How much energy do you put into a task that
you do not enjoy? How do you deal with
the pressure of deadlines? How do you
handle all the darts that the enemy hurls your way?
Excellence is a
lighthouse in a sea of mediocrity. It
will shine out for all to see.
3. Daniel
maintained his faith in God.
All through the
first six chapters of Daniel, we see again and again that Daniel believed in
the providence and provision of God. He
believed that God would honor his commitment to abstaining from the king’s
food. He trusted God to give him the
interpretations of the king’s dreams. Daniel
sought God for wisdom and direction in times of need.
And God honored
his faith. He gave Daniel wisdom and
revelation. He granted Daniel favor with the kings. He protected
Daniel and delivered him from the lion’s den.
It is easy for our
faith to be shaken when we find ourselves living “under less than ideal
circumstances.” But always remember
these two things:
1. God’s heart toward you is
good.
2. God is working out His
purposes.
We can trust Him
because He loves us and because He knows what He is doing.
God does not want
us to just get by. He wants us to
thrive. After all, we are told in John
10:10, Jesus came to give us abundant life.
As Daniel showed us our character, our excellence, and our faith will
determine just how well we thrive in “less than ideal circumstances.
