Dear Parents,
This week in High Life Sunday school we continued our conversation about identity. Our focus this week was on how our culture impacts our identity. We studied the story of Daniel, found in the Old Testament book of the same name. We focused in particular on chapters 1 and 6.
In the beginning of Daniel’s story, we see that the King of Babylon is choosing young men who are smart and handsome, from the upper crust families, to enter into a training program in which they will be schooled in the Babylonian culture. At the end of a three year training, they will then serve the king. Right out of the gate we can see similarities between the Babylonian culture and our own – Our culture values family status, appearance, intelligence, just like the Babylonians. But Daniel, being one of the chosen, shows us the correct way to handle the influences of culture. He requests that he be allowed to follow his own dietary laws rather than those of the Babylonians. He is granted permission on a trial basis, and at the end of the trial period looks better than all the men eating the Babylonian’s food. And the story says that because of his obedience, God blessed him. This is the key. Even though Daniel’s story only specifically tells us about food at this point, this lesson applies to other areas of life as well. We need to follow God’s ways for us and not the ways of our culture. As Christians, we are called to be different; we should not look just like everyone else in our world.
Later in Daniel’s story, in a part that is familiar to many, Daniel is again tested when the King issues an edict that the nation may only pray to him and not to any other god. Well, Daniel continues to pray to God just the same, and as a result, he is thrown into the lion’s den. If you’ve read the story before, you know that God miraculously closes the mouths of the lions and Daniel emerges unharmed. Because of his obedience to God, God protects Daniel’s life. Because of this miracle, the King then issues a decree that all the nation should serve the God of Daniel. God was able to do huge things through Daniel’s life because he refused to compromise and always followed the ways of God rather than the ways the culture was telling him to act. The same is true for us. Sometimes it is not easy to go against our culture, but God will bless us if we do. And he can do amazing things through our lives if we choose his way over the way of the world.
We spent a good bit of time discussing ways that our culture would tell us to live that do not align with what God asks of us. For instance, the world tells us that we should amass as much wealth as possible in our time here on earth, like hoarders. But God instructs us to be generous to all when it is in our power to act. He says that we are just stewards of what he has given us, and we need to use our resources for him. Another example would be our appearance. The world has very specific guidelines for what makes a person beautiful, but God instructs us that our bodies are his temple, and we should adorn them with modesty. Furthermore, God’s word makes it clear that each human being is created in his image, is a masterpiece, and is fearfully and wonderfully made. Appearance is not really a factor in the kingdom of God.
I hope that our teens were able to come away with some ideas about how their culture is impacting their lives more than it should. We want each of them to embrace who God made them to be, to follow his path for their lives, and to minimize the impact of our culture in their lives.
Blessings,
Shane, Chris, and Catherine