Change without a crisis

We’re in part two of our series The Future You and we’re still sitting with two simple—but powerful—questions:

Who will I be five years from now if I keep doing what I’m doing today?
And… who do I want to be five years from now?

Because momentum matters. Life is a bit like a train—you may not be steering it, but it is taking you somewhere. And if you don’t like the destination, now is the time to get off.

This isn’t about New Year’s resolutions. Twelve months is rarely enough time to become who God is shaping us to be. So instead, we’re asking a bigger question: What could God do in 60 months that one year would only begin?

That brings us to today’s theme: change without a crisis.

In 1 Kings 19, we meet Elisha—an ordinary guy having an ordinary workday. He’s plowing fields, minding his business, running a very successful family operation. Think wealth, security, and a very clear future. Shaphat Farms was thriving, and Elisha was next in line.

Then Elijah shows up.

No warning. No speech. He simply throws his cloak over Elisha’s shoulders and walks away.

And Elisha knows exactly what it means.

This is a call. A costly one.

Elisha asks to say goodbye to his parents—and then he does something wild. He slaughters the oxen, burns the plow, and throws a barbecue. Translation? There’s no going back. He chooses obedience without a crisis pushing him. No famine. No disaster. No failure. Just a quiet, courageous “yes” to God.

What follows is even harder.

Eighteen years pass.

Eighteen years of obscurity. Eighteen years of serving. Scripture tells us exactly one thing Elisha did during that time: he poured water on Elijah’s hands.

That’s it.

No sermons. No miracles. Just faithfulness.

And yet—when the moment finally comes, when Elijah is taken to heaven in a fiery whirlwind (of course he is), Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. And God answers.

Here’s the encouragement for us: big futures are built through quiet obedience.

Elisha’s story reminds us that meaningful change usually looks like three things:

Drastic action.
Something has to spark the change. Burning the plow. Drawing a line. Saying, “No more half-measures.”

Steady progression.
Faithfulness over time. Small steps. Daily obedience. Just keep pouring water.

Momentum.
Eventually, the right habits, the right choices, and the right focus begin to carry you forward. What was once hard becomes natural. What felt impossible becomes sustainable.

Change doesn’t require a crisis—but it does require courage.

Five years from now, you’ll be somewhere. The question is whether you’ll arrive there accidentally—or intentionally, trusting God every step of the way.

Pray boldly. Dream faithfully. And take the next right step.

God is already at work in the future you.

Your future is already in motion

Have you ever paused to think about where you’ll be—or who you’ll be—five years from now?

Here’s the sobering (and hopeful) truth: you in five years isn’t a mystery. That person is being shaped right now by the choices you’re making today.

As we step into a new year, I sometimes worry that we think too small. We overestimate what we can change quickly and underestimate what God can do over time if we stay faithful. Romans 13 gently but firmly calls us to wake up, pay attention, and not drift through life unaware of what God is doing. Time is short—and it matters how we live.

Five years is long enough to grow deeply in faith, reshape habits, strengthen relationships, and become more like Christ. It’s also long enough to drift, to harden our hearts, or to settle into patterns that slowly take us somewhere we never intended to go.

Here’s the truth: our habits, reactions, and priorities are forming us—quietly and steadily—every single day.

Future you will simply be an exaggerated version of current you. And that’s actually good news. Because if you don’t like what you’re becoming, then with God’s help, you can change what you’re doing.

Not through quick fixes or bursts of spiritual intensity—but through consistent, faithful choices. Small steps. Daily obedience. Steady devotion.

Years ago, I met someone who transformed their life in the least dramatic way possible. There was no crisis. No big announcement. No “new year, new me” moment. Just a simple decision: I’m going to show up a little differently each day.

They started small. Ten minutes of walking most mornings. A short prayer before checking their phone. One chapter of Scripture instead of one more episode at night. Nothing flashy. Honestly, nothing anyone else would have noticed.

At first, it felt like nothing was happening. Weeks passed. Then months. The progress was so quiet it almost felt disappointing—but they kept going.

A year later, they were calmer. More grounded. Their relationships were healthier. Their body was stronger. Their faith had roots, not just ideas. Five years in, people started asking, “What happened to you?”

The answer was simple: nothing happened overnight. Everything happened over time.

They didn’t become a different person. They became a truer one—shaped by thousands of small, faithful choices stacked on top of each other.

That’s how transformation usually works. Not loud. Not fast. Just slow, steady obedience that, given enough time, produces remarkable results.

Five years from now is coming either way.
The question is: who do you want to be when you get there?

From one year to the next - God remains

“2025 was the best year ever!” one friend exclaimed.

“Not for me. I’m so glad it’s over—it was the worst,” another quickly replied.

Maybe you can relate to one of those voices. Or maybe your year landed somewhere in between—marked by both joy and heartache, gratitude and grief.

Wherever you find yourself as one year closes and another begins, one truth remains steady and sure: you are not alone.You never have been—and you never will be.

Our God is a with-us God.

On the heels of celebrating the birth of our King, we’re reminded again that God chose nearness. He is Emmanuel—God with us. Not distant. Not detached. Present. Faithful. Steady. And that truth has a way of carrying us gently into a fresh start.

Life changes. Seasons shift. People come and go. But God does not change. God’s presence is not dependent on the kind of year we’ve had or the kind of year we’re hoping for. God is with us in the mountaintops and the valleys—and that is incredibly good news.

As you step into a new season, I invite you to slow down and let these words from Scripture settle your heart. Read them. Pray them. Let them remind you of who God is and how deeply God is for you.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.” - Lamentations 3:22–23

*“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” - Isaiah 43:18-19

*”For I know the plans I have for you., declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a further and a hope.” - Jeremiah 29:11

*”Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” - Proverbs 3:4-5