I watched a movie called Migration this week and really enjoyed it. The movie follows the Mallards, a family of ducks that go on their first migration to Jamaica, led by their dad and husband Mack, who’s paranoid about the dangers of the outside world and prefers everyone staying home. This leads to a chaotic adventure filled with meeting new (and sometimes scary) animals and people, lots of detours and side quests, and humourous lessons about facing your fears, solving problems, and staying optimistic.
Movie review aside, there was a line that stood out to me from Pam, the mother and wife, when she was first arguing with Mack about going on the trip.
“This isn’t about migration! It’s about adventure and seeing what else life has to offer! Is it a little scary? Sure. But isn’t it worth it?”
For the record, Mack said no, and some parts of me agree with him. Like Mack, I tend to envision how things could go wrong and am not fond of change. If it’s not broken, why fix or change it, right?
However, God can work through change to bring about good in our lives. I’ve found that if we don’t experience change, we get stagnant and don’t have a chance to grow. Many times, God has used change in my life to grow and mature me, whether it was change in school, work, people, and life. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without those changes.
God also uses change to work good in the lives of others. Abraham is a good example of this. God told him to
“Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
– Genesis 12:1-3
This was a huge change, and one that probably scared Abraham. He was leaving what was familiar to him – land, family, and home – and going into the unknown, a land that God would show him. Abraham could have said “I don’t need the change or scary adventures. I’m comfortable right where I am now. So no thanks, Lord, I’m staying right where I’ve been living for the last few decades. Send someone else.”
Instead of freaking out and staying home, Abraham, however scared he might have been, packed up his stuff, gathered his family, and left for lands unknown. Through this, God used Abraham to start the the nation of Israel, which brought about Christianity as we know it.
This one change in Abraham’s life changed his family’s lives, which changed the world. Sometimes, a change does not solely affect us, but also affects the lives of people around us, for better or worse. I can’t even begin to imagine what our lives would look like had Abraham chickened out of the change God called him to.
Change can be scary, but when we get to see what God has in store for us in the change, it’s definitely worth it.