“A lot can happen in a year.” Those are words my mom once said to me. I can’t remember the exact context, but I remember thinking, Yeah, let’s not get crazy. Things probably won’t change that much. She was right.
If you’re in a season where you feel stuck, or even in a season where everything seems mapped out and running on all cylinders, you may be surprised by how much can change in a single year. I’ve thought about those words many times as I’ve watched how quickly life can change and how fast time can pass. One year ago today, I was preparing to officiate one last wedding for my friends, Rich and Ally. I had done their premarital counseling and promised to officiate their wedding—but that was before I knew I was moving to the Netherlands. A lot can change in a year.
For Nicole and I, life changed dramatically. Instead of settling into a new season with our daughter and son-in-law moving home with their baby girl on the way, we packed up our lives and boarded a plane for The Hague. I arrived in shorts and stepped off the plane in a jacket. Our new home had two bedrooms and one bathroom. Without a car, we rode our bikes everywhere. Just a year earlier, we had been living in a six-bedroom, four-bathroom house with two cars parked outside. A lot can change in a year.
But some things don’t change.
God was still on the throne. His plans were better than mine. I knew He had called me to the Netherlands to serve as Senior Pastor at Trinity Church. I knew He was kind, generous, and faithful—able to provide for every need and bless the work He had called us to do. Seasons change. Our God does not. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
I don’t know what will change in your life over the next year. You might find yourself living in a new country, starting your dream job, or meeting a lifelong friend. You might face a health crisis, experience a loss, or find yourself walking through circumstances you never saw coming. Life is full of unexpected turns. But there is peace in the unknown when you know the One who already knows.
We don’t have to know what the next year holds because we know who holds it. A lot can happen in a year. But through it all, God remains faithful.
As I complete my first full year at Trinity Church I am amazed at all that the Lord has done. I’m thankful. I’m happy. I’m excited. My thoughts are more on the year ahead than the year behind. But if this year is any indicator, the year ahead is going to be great! The best is yet to come. A lot can change in a year. I’m excited to see what beautiful changes are ahead for Trinity Church in my second year as Senior Pastor. Let’s go! Together, On Mission.
“Trinity International Church is a safe, welcoming, community of Christ-followers who uphold a high view of Scripture, celebrate unity in diversity and participate fully in the abiding Christian life as described in the Bible. We are united by the principle that in the essentials there should be unity, in all else there should be charity.”
Pastor Dan
