Is Daniel’s life an achievable example for us? In my opinion he had an enviable life! The Lord always greatly favored and blessed him, many times in a very hostile environment. God even turned his enemies into his well-wishers and helped him out from very difficult or disastrous situations. Could we ever expect anything like this?
By some estimates, there have been about 12 billion people born since Adam. Of those, there were only 2 (Joseph and Daniel) of whom God never said anything critical, and He used both of them to accomplish remarkable things. Joseph’s suffering was described in detail, but the sacrifices Daniel made were less obvious. Many of the people he worked with hated him. They betrayed him and tried to get him killed several times.
And there’s no mention of Daniel’s wife or family because he had none. According to Hebrew tradition, Daniel was castrated when he went into the service of the King because it was thought that castration made men less competitive and less ambitious. Therefore they would be less likely to betray their master’s trust. If this is true, Daniel spent his life as a eunuch.
Becoming like Daniel is possible, but it takes a great deal of faith. And in the human sense, there is always a price to pay for walking so closely with God.