Becoming Wiseنموونە

Wisdom is to know who we are

While scrolling through Instagram, I paused to watch a short video.It was a little girl dancing to the tune of a Bollywood movie song.What is striking is that she was only three years old but she impersonated every move of the actor in that movie. This is what culture can do to us. We can consciously or unconsciously follow culture – the ideas, customs and social behaviour of a society. Culture tells us how we ought to look, our ideal body weight, the type of clothes we need to wear, or the kind of accessories we need to use. Culture tries to dictate our lifestyle, gradually making us become like it.

Daniel faced this dilemma.

He was taken as a captive from Jerusalem and placed in Babylonian culture. Babylon at that time was one of the largest cities in the world, a place where trade prospered, and gods were revered and worshipped. He is given a new name in this city in association with a Babylonian god. He is taught contemporary literature and language. He is also provided with the palace’s food which was against his dietary practices. Daniel’s identity is being changed to fit into Babylon’s culture. But Daniel chose not to.

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

Daniel is determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given by the King. He restricted his diet to remind himself that he is a person of God in a foreign land.

Becoming wise means to know who you are. The Bible tells us when God created the world and that He made mankind in His own image. We are intrinsically valuable because we are made in God’s image. Our identity is not based on what the world dictates to us; instead, our identity is based on what God lovingly reveals about us.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for making me in your image. Help me to find my identity and value in you.