17.3

After returning from our summer trip to South Carolina, I took a day to recuperate. I started the morning as usual—finished my shift, turned to Cata for a good-morning kiss, and settled into my happy Friday routine. An hour in, I got a call from my boss asking why I hadn’t accepted a meeting invite. I told her I was finishing a priority task and hadn’t gotten to the invite yet. She asked if there was a reason I hadn’t accepted it. I said no, opened the invite, and explained it had arrived after my shift ended on Thursday. I accepted the meeting.

After that, my mind began to race: Am I going to get laid off? Part of me said no. Because the meeting was at 11:00 a.m., I took lunch at 10:30 instead—I usually eat at 11:00. Brooklyn and I went for a walk, and I prayed. I joined the meeting. The HR president got straight to the point: “I have bad news.” I wasn’t the only one; five others were included.

It was surreal. For six days, the shock lingered before I finally took the step to go to the gym—it really helped. Emotionally, I’ve had my ups and downs.

No one is ever prepared for a layoff. I’m grateful for my wife, Cata—for how strong she’s been and how she’s stood with me as I work through the weekly unemployment goals: applications and required activities. Each week, it takes hours to apply and meet these goals while trying to maintain your sanity and work through the thoughts that come. After working for so long at one company, this feels like a divorce. Some who said they’d be there aren’t. You have to pick yourself up and reinvent yourself.

“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 streams in the wasteland.”
— Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)

If you’re standing in a season of sudden change, take heart—God is not surprised, and He is already at work. Your faithful steps—sending one more application, making one more call, praying one more prayer—are not small to Him. Even when support thins out, Jesus remains steady and close. Today’s win may simply be choosing trust over fear; that is real progress.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You that when the ground shifts under our feet, Your love remains firm. Give me wisdom for each next step, strength to keep showing up, and peace that guards my heart and mind. Provide for our family, open the right doors, and close the wrong ones. Use this season to shape my character and deepen my trust in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.