A Reminder from Daniel 6:22

"My God sent His angel to shut the lions' mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in His sight." -Daniel 6:22

I find myself constantly in awe of Daniel and his steadfast faith in the lion's den. 

It's a story that resonates with me for two main reasons. 

One, it's his faith in the face of what would have been certain death. He maintained his faith in God despite the outcome.

Now, I've never stood face-to-face with a lion, but there have been times in my life where the slightest inconvenience had me angry and upset. How might I have reacted differently if I'd reminded myself in those moments that God works all things for good? That even when things are NOT going my way, that doesn't mean that God is absent. He is always there. 

And He is always good.

The second reason Daniel's story really hits home for me is one I hadn't even realized until I started reading through my Life Application Bible's footnotes (I use THIS one).

The footnote asks this question: "What can unbelievers determine about your life? Do those who don't believe in God still witness to your consistency of faith and trust in Him?"

Now, I LOVE this self-reflection question. Especially during this time of year. How many times do we get frustrated when that thing we wanted to gift for Christmas is out of stock?

 Or when the store we want to go to is more crowded than normal?

When traffic is crazy as people rush around to finish those last-minute pre-Christmas tasks?

It is way too easy to get so distracted by our to-do lists that we start reacting out of that overwhelming feeling.

We end up snapping at loved ones, or--more often--complete strangers. This anger reaction oftentimes (more than not) has a ripple effect that then goes on to negatively impact the lives of countless people who weren't even there when we got frustrated to begin with. 

But how much better would our days be if we simply reminded ourselves that people are watching. That even the unbelievers are paying attention and taking stock of the way we react in certain situations. 

The king who ordered Daniel to be thrown into that den did not share Daniel's belief in God. However, in seeing Daniel's faith in God, and how He rescued Daniel from that den, the king sent out a message proclaiming that:

"Everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His rule will never end. He rescues and saves His people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions." (Daniel 7:26-27).

Just by being kind and showing God's love to the world, we could have a greater impact than we can even begin to imagine. We could help change the course of someone else's day (or even their life!), simply by being the light in a world consistently riddled with darkness. ESPECIALLY when things aren't going our way. 

Imagine the power our testimony has when things are not going according to plan and we react out of our faith even when the world would expect a reaction of anger or fear!

OUR GOD IS GOOD EVEN WHEN LIFE ISN'T. 

So, this is my reminder to myself this Advent season (and in future seasons as well):

-To fight back against that urge to react out of anger.

-To slow down and realize that my to-do list isn't going anywhere

-To show God's love to everyone I meet. 

Now, I know I will absolutely slip up (we all do), but I do hope that this reminder causes me to stop and reflect in those moments, so that, going forward, I might do better.

Merry Christmas and God's Blessings to you and yours,

-Jessica