In the transition from freedom at home in Judah to forced captivity in Babylon, Daniel stood out as a leader among his peers. However, he did not go through this adjustment on his own. His teammates were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. In the first two chapters of Daniel, we see his team studying together in the School of Babylon. The pagan teachers recognized this Hebrew team for their superior aptitude (1:19). They took a dietary oath together and the team was healthier than any of their peers (1:15). When faced with their first life-and-death challenge in their new positions, they prayed together as a team and God answered their request (2:17–19). When the king rewarded Daniel for revealing the meaning of a dream, Daniel convinced the king to reward the other members of his team as well (2:49). No doubt, Daniel would list good teamwork as a priority for successful transition.

To state that teamwork is important to the military is like saying fuel is important to a car. From a two-person buddy team watching each other’s back to the Air Force providing close air support for the Army, the military knows it must function as a team to be successful.

What is in every fiber of military functionality is sometimes strangely missing in the life of some military spouses. Military spouse Shelley Kimball admitted, “As a military spouse, I was making everything so much harder by insisting to myself that I go it alone. I refused help. A lot. Even in desperate times. I thought it was a personal failing, a weakness, to be willing to accept help. I was so wrong. So very wrong.”

Transition can go much smoother if you tackle it with a team. Your home team of husband and possibly children will face many major life transitions together. Like Daniel and his team, you can best support each other if everyone signs on to the same shared values to guide your decisions. As Daniel made sure the king not only rewarded him, but also his team, every member of your family needs to know you consider their feelings and aspirations.

In addition to your home team, may I suggest you pull together a prayer team of people not bound by location and distance to back you up? Daniel already had his prayer team in place when a crisis arose. Any time is a good time to build a team to support each other in prayer, but having that team in place before you are in crisis mode is comforting.

Sister, don’t go it alone. Teamwork can make the hard work of transition easier!

How can you relate to the statement from military spouse Shelley about “going it alone”? How has going through transition with the support and help of others made a difference in your times of transition?

During a year of advanced military training for which my husband was selected, the health and fitness department offered a deal a spouse could not refuse. In an effort to promote family fitness, the department invited spouses to experience the “Bod Pod.” This sophisticated contraption is the gold standard for body composition assessment. I determined this would be my year to get in shape, and the Bod Pod was my first step toward that fitness goal. I threw any claustrophobic tendency out the window as I sat in the futuristic-looking egg-shaped chamber. The Bod Pod would measure my fat and lean muscle mass—what did I have to lose? (no pun intended). The bottom line—again, no pun intended—was that I needed some help when it came to fitness. For weeks afterward when I spotted a fellow spouse with a sad countenance, I only had to ask, “Bod Pod?” and she would nod forlornly. To their credit, the department worked with us to develop an exercise program and offered suggestions in dietary changes.

Daniel did not change his diet for physical reasons, but for religious convictions. However, the change he made concerning food resulted in prime physical health that was evident to his captors. The step of self-discipline Daniel took was an act of devotion that met with God’s approval and blessing. Daniel’s choice of food is not included in Scripture for the purpose of following his diet, but for the purpose of seeing God’s hand at work in his life. God strengthened him—body, soul, and spirit—to remain faithful even in captivity.

Our bodies matter to God. Caring for them with proper nutrition, exercise, and rest allows us to return our bodies in service to him. Paul exhorts us to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1). One way we worship God is to seek to be a good steward of the body he has given.

In times of transition, it takes discipline not to live off fast food. (I’m fond of McD’s chicken wrap with a side of fries.) Being good stewards of health is pleasing to the Lord and a positive example to others. Having cut and chiseled abs is not a biblical requirement. Scripture does not equate physical perfection with godliness. However, as in the case of Daniel, good health can be a testimony of your good choices and God’s good care.

How do you integrate exercise into your daily life? What ways have you found to maintain healthy standards of eating and exercise during transitions?

In the midst of the greatest transition ever undertaken by the United States, General George Washington issued a General Order on November 30, 1777 stating in part:

For as much as it is the indispensable duty of all men, to adore the superintending providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with gratitude their obligations to him for benefits received, and to implore such further blessings as they stand in need of; and if having pleased him in his abundant mercy, not only to continue to us the innumerable bounties of his common providence, but also, to smile upon us in the prosecution of a just and necessary war, for the defense of our unalienable rights and liberties.

It is therefore recommended by Congress, that Thursday the 18th Day of December next be set apart for Solemn Thanksgiving and Praise; that at that time, and with one voice, the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts …

During a time of war, with all the hardships that it brings, one may wonder why General Washington and Congress would exhort the people of our struggling nation to have grateful feelings in their hearts and express their gratitude to God.

We could pose the same question concerning Daniel, a captive serving in a foreign land separated from family and friends. The United States gave thanks in the middle of the Revolutionary War because they believed God was helping them and would continue to do so. Daniel believed the same. He gave thanks in a time when his life was on the line—interpret the king’s dream or die. He gave thanks to God for giving him a revelation of the dream. God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer showed his personal involvement in Daniel’s life. Daniel spontaneously sang a hymn of thanksgiving to God for making wisdom available in his time of need.

In Girl Meets Change, former military wife Kristen Strong describes the role of thanksgiving in the midst of transition: “When change wipes all the natural light from the rooms of my heart, being thankful is the way to usher it back in.… We understand that when change plants us in a windowless room, gratitude gives us a window to welcome the light …”

Praise and thanksgiving is our acknowledgement of God’s help and presence. God entered Daniel’s situation and brought the light of his power and wisdom. Sister, his wisdom is available to you; his greatness is yours to experience! Hallelujah!

How can thanksgiving help you thrive in transition? Write your own proclamation of thanksgiving and share it with your family.

In the military context, what is the common component of the following: a basic training graduation, an ethnic celebration event, the opening of a new commissary, a change of command, and a retirement ceremony? If you said prayer, you are right. Isn’t it noteworthy that at a time when prayer is prohibited in many public places, the military includes prayer in every special event you can imagine? A casual observer might conclude that prayer is a priority in the military. But you cannot deny that prayer was a priority for Daniel.

Most people have heard of Daniel in the lions’ den. If you think Daniel prayed a powerful prayer for protection while staring into the snarling teeth of hungry lions, you might be right—but the Scriptures do not mention Daniel praying there. In fact, praying is what got him thrown into the den! Before you decide to avoid prayer as life-threatening, let’s look at the story.

Everyone in the kingdom knew that Daniel had a practice of praying three times a day. The officials who were jealous of Daniel tricked the king into signing an irrevocable decree that for thirty days no one could make a petition to any god or man other than the king. Punishment for breaking the decree would mean keeping company with large felines.

Knowing the king had signed the devious decree did not stop Daniel from keeping his appointment with God. He went to his private upper room to pray as he always did. As with his choice of food, he was not making a defiant public spectacle—he was expressing his faith. The phrase he got down on his knees lets us know this was a private act, as standing was the common public position of prayer. Daniel’s disobedience of the decree was not so much a demonstration of his personal rights as much as a daily practice of personal renewal in the presence of God.

Daniel’s advice to us all would be to make prayer a priority. When you settle into a calm routine of life, prayer will refresh your spirit. When you move through the uncertainty of transition, prayer will rescue your soul.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles in captivity during the time Daniel lived. Daniel’s commitment to prayer followed his admonition. We too can benefit from living by the words of Jeremiah: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, declares the LORD …” (Jeremiah 29:11–14).

In what way does Daniel’s response to the king’s decree inspire you? How did prayer help Daniel through transition? How has personal prayer helped you through transition?