The Sea Change

Ever heard of the phrase ‘sea change’ ? Its when a city dweller decides that they’ve had enough of the fast and chaotic pace of life. They abandon their careers, comfort and security and head for the sea. In high hopes of a new and relaxed life. Well I have no career, no mortgage, no estate, but there’s times when I wish I could do the same. I think from the time I had an independent mind, I’ve always planned out my life. From the daily schedule to the yearly goals. Being the hardcore melancholic that I am, I take refuge in knowing that I hold my own life. Many people around me, know that I am a well planned and organised person. From colour-coded study notes to my plans on what post-grad I want to do in two years time. Finish my under-graduate degree, head straight towards a masters or a doctorate. Be finished with uni by around the age of twenty-four. Hopefully be married by around twenty-seven to twenty-eight. So on and so forth. Reading it probably already tires you. And that’s exactly what it did to me. I got tired. I wanted a sea change…

But you know what, the problem wasn’t my plans, my surroundings, or the people around me. It was me. And as much as I would try to ‘sea change’ (figuratively ofcourse), it won’t change a thing. Because the problem was me. I could move as far away as I can, but I can’t run away from myself. What I needed was not a sea change, but a ‘me-change’. To change my perspective.

I would often ignore this one voice, and thought He was irrelevant to all of this. But let me tell you … God is never irrelevant to anything that you experience in life. In fact, He is more than interested in all of your business. He wanted to teach me how by the example of His life. Skepticism first kicks in… How could my own little pathetic dilemma about how I plan too much relate to His amazing mission and life?

Let me share with you how…

Even if you say you’re not well-versed with the Bible, I’m sure you’ve all heard the story of Jesus. Especially His birth. There is very little about His conception. Jesus is never mentioned as an embryo or a foetus. It is always about His birth. The bible does not contain a week by week recount of how Jesus developed in the womb. His birth was described as “…bring(ing) the prophet’s embryonic sermon to full term” (Matthew 1:23 – The Message). Jesus is the coming together of God’s plan. He is not some arbitrary person with no plan ahead. He lived His life not in rebellion or confusion to the plan set out before Him (although He had a choice whether to follow or not). If there is one word to describe what Jesus did in His lifetime , it would be to … fulfill

So how does this apply to me? … to you?

We often forget that our purpose is to fulfill a plan. We think of ourselves as our own ‘embryo’. Our own clump of cell, free to engineer and design ourselves and our lives the way we want to. Don’t get me wrong, we most definitely can! God is gracious enough to allow that. But more often than not, what results out of that is a being that looks nothing like how God intended he or she to be.

A baby is created by the genetic materials of its parents, by their ‘maker’. That baby will therefore be created in the image of its parents. But what happens if that embryo discards the genetic information it has been given? It will look nothing like its parents. Possibly, a mutant. That sounds absurd to you right? I hear you say ‘impossible!’ or ‘that doesn’t happen!’. Oh but it does! It may not be in the biological sense, but it certainly does occur. Many of us, are born with a plan. “I have it all planned out, plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for” (Jeremiah 29:11). We think of God as this man who wants dictate our lives with no mercy. That if we abandon ourselves to Him, we are bound for a boring life of nothing but church. But I love how the Message Bible puts it … “plans to give YOU the future YOU hope for”. Rejecting His plans, isn’t just denying what He wants, but what I want. He knows the things I hope for even before I started hoping.

“But Jesus insisted, ‘Do it. God’s work, putting things right all these centuries, is coming together right now…”   – Matthew 3:15 (The Message)

Many events in the life of Jesus, reiterates this. That He is the coming together of a plan. After getting this revelation I realised, I want to stop ignoring His plans and start living it out. I don’t have the whole picture. God doesn’t hand you the blueprint of your life. Jesus was not born and lead straight to the cross to save all of mankind. He went through a process. He lived a life. From the moment He was born, every day, every event, was a fulfillment of God’s plan.

Is your life a fulfillment of His plans? Or a satisfaction of your own?

Are you a confirmation? Or a contradiction?

I now take security not in planning my life ahead but in believing that God has a plan for my life. It’s not that I no longer have a choice in life. I do. But now I know, that among all the pathways that life can throw at me, I can make the best choice every time … His plans.

I’m still living in the same house as I was before. I still have the same friends and the same family. I still go to the same university and study the same things. I’m still me.. bound to get ahead of myself and the plans set out for me. But I have made my ‘sea change’ … I see that my life is not some trial and error but something beautifully planned. I see that no matter what I acquire in this world, my wealth lies in Him. I see that whatever adversity comes my way, the best is yet to come … I see a change in me …

I’m letting go

of the life I planned for me

and my dreams

I’m losing control

of my destiny

It feels like I’m falling

and that’s what it’s like to believe

so I’m letting go ….

I’m letting go – Francesca Battistelli