Headstrong. Bull-headed. Strong-willed. Single-minded.

Take your pick. They all mean the same thing: Stubborn.

And I have been called them all.

Usually with a negative connotation.

Okay, I admit. Being stubborn isn’t usually something to boast about. Sometimes it can cause me to be a little too set in my ways, rigid even, unable or unwilling to see another side or take a different approach. I am fiercely protective of my routine, almost to a fault. Being stubborn is definitely one of those things with which I struggle; it’s a sin I need to daily surrender to God, asking His help to soften my heart against its own stiffness.

But…what if being stubborn isn’t all bad?

As mentioned above, I’m well aware of the ways my inflexibility can potentially hinders God’s work in my life. However, in others, I actually interpret it as an asset.

And it took a couple of equally as stubborn Jewish men, trapped in the bondage of Babylon, to help me see it.

In the Book of Daniel, we find the ancient Israelites in captivity, their kingdom having been overtaken by the Babylonians. Of these, a few select men–among them Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego–were given special privileges, places of honor beneath the king. The way they navigated being in the kingdom but not of it is especially fascinating, and I highly recommend reading it if you haven’t before. But, for our purposes, we are going to pick up in chapter three. King Nebuchadnezzar had erected a giant golden statue, with the directions that “as soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” (Daniel 3:5-6)

Talk about motivation, right? Not exactly authentic worship, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t high on Nebuchadnezzar’s priorities.

But then, as now, there were tattle-tales.

“At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews…there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3: 8, 12)

And so, despite all the ways Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had faithfully served him, “furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up?” (Daniel 3: 13-14) He then threatened the men, reminding them that “if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” (Daniel 3:15b)

The chapter continues: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to him, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3: 16-18)

Whenever I read this now-familiar story, I always wanted to pump my fist in triumph here. What courage! What gall! What absolute faith! Their statement was the equivalent of an Old Testament mic drop, and you can’t help but cheer for them.

But, reading this the other day, another realization struck me.

Yes, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had courage. They gall. And they most certainly had faith.

But they also had stubbornness.

On the threat of being burned alive in a blazing furnace, they stood their ground. Eye to eye with a man who held the absolute power of life and death over them, they refused to bow, either to idols or to him. They were headstrong. Bull-headed. Strong-willed. Single-minded.

About their God.

Being stubborn is defined as “having or showing dogged determination not to change one’s attitude or position on something, especially in spite of good arguments or reasons to do so.”

And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego certainly had no reason to expect God to intervene. After all, God had not prevented their exile or rescued them from forced slavery in the court of this arrogant king. It had been generations since the Israelites had last experienced a miracle. And yet still, these men remained steadfast–stubborn–in their faith. They truly believed God could and would rescue him. And, even more tellingly, if not, they resolved that they still would not worship a false idol.

No matter what their circumstances tried to tell them, they would not give up the faith.

And that is the kind of stubborn that elevates our relationship with God rather than hinders it. The resolve to trust God, believe Him, serve Him no matter what the world looks like around us? I would be proud to be called that kind of inflexible. In fact, it’s my goal.

So carry-on, fellow pigheaded friends. But let us seek to redirect our stubbornness not to ourselves, but to God.

He alone is worthy.