Daniel: A Faithful Young ProfessionalSample

It is not easy for Daniel as a young man. He is talented, promising, young, a believer, and everyone wants something of him. In addition, he works in a new and unknown environment in which loyalty to his religion and to his ancestry prevents him from making an impressive career. There are three areas that compete for his loyalty, and he will have to make choices without betraying himself and his ideals. These areas are his faith, his ancestry, and his new boss and employer.

The first dilemma for Daniel is his faith in God. How can he retain his faith while all facts argue against God. The all-powerful God who controls everything and keeps the whole world in his hands, seems to have lost in the battle between Jerusalem and Babylon. Jerusalem, the city of God, is completely destroyed, and all inhabitants have been moved into exile. All valuable and sacred goods from God’s temple have been transported to the temple of the Babylonian god and have been subdued to the honor of this Babylonian god, Sinear. God seems to have lost, and Nebuchadnezzar, with his gods, is the actual ruler (Dan. 1:1-2).

The second dilemma that most likely makes Daniel exceptional and lonely is his willingness to cooperate with the King of Babel. This causes some of his fellow countrymen to see him as a traitor and a corrupt person. The King of Babylon is the number one enemy of Daniel's people because of the destruction of Jerusalem and of Israel’s independence (2 Kings 25). Daniel serves the Babylonian regime, and this makes him an actual collaborator.

The third dilemma is his choice of diet. His new bosses want him to conform to something that all scholars of his time consider proven to be healthy for the development of both his physique and his personality. They want him to eat food specially selected for him and his fellow trainees in order to look good and be healthy. But Daniel refuses because of his religious conviction (Dan. 1:5). As a religious trainee, Daniel is in a very complicated situation.

When I started and developed my career within a large company, every new experience was exciting, challenging, and fun; but I also felt insecure. As a young man, I had no life experience, and I had not yet reached an emotional balance. I was searching for my identity and who I might become. Many of my choices were made because I wanted to live up to the expectations of others. Insecurity was masked by visible success in those areas where I would generate attention and appreciation. Swimming against the tide without denying yourself and your identity and making your own choices were no easy tasks at that age.

Question of the day:
What dilemmas and loyalties play a role in your life and work?