While hunting for the deadly great white shark in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar winning masterpiece Jaws, the hero of the film, Police Chief Brody, gets his first look at exactly how massive the killer shark truly is. Standing on the deck of the small fishing vessel that has taken him out to sea, Brody turns to the ship’s captain, and completely off-script utters the now famous line ‘ You’re going to need a bigger boat’.

I read an article recently about how this, and a good number of the great lines in cinema history, was ad-libbed rather than following the original script.

There are undoubtedly times in our lives which seem to be more about improvising than following a pre-determined path.

Not so many years back, young men would follow in their father’s footsteps. If dad was a baker, you would be too, and so would your son and grandson and so on. Even now, for many people their path from GCSEs to A-levels to university to job to relationship to children to retirement seems a well worn pattern that follows relentlessly on.

Despite all this preparation, when we are faced with unusual or unexpected situations, our past experience and training can count for nothing. Sometimes it feels as if we’re making it up as we go along. We end up going completely off script.

As we take our first few steps into the beginning of another new year, there will be determined resolutions, firm pledges and resolute intent, to change one thing or another about the way we are. Giving something up, laying down an old habit, or starting something new. It’s just as certain that despite our best intentions, we will find unforeseen hurdles and challenges in front of us.

We may find ourselves unsure, uncertain what to say or do. However in the midst of this is an unchanging God, who as the prophet Isaiah puts it, is always doing a new thing. But He doesn’t ad-lib. He doesn’t improvise. He doesn’t go off-script. We can hold on to Him. The God who will be there for us whatever we face.

(January 2017)