Most Monday mornings, I painfully hit the snooze button on my alarm clock about five times before I roll out of bed and stumble to the shower in order to get ready for the start of another week of work.

This morning wasn’t like that.

I woke up before my alarm clock, wide awake and ready to start the day. But the only problem was that I didn’t have anywhere to go. A little over a week ago, after surviving about a year’s worth of cuts at the company I was working for, I was laid off.

Since it’s the 19th today, I decided I would read Proverbs 19. Without knowing it beforehand, Proverbs 19 includes one of the verses I had already decided to claim during this trial.

Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

I didn’t plan to get laid off (especially four months before I’m getting married). I planned to buy a house. I planned to spend the days of my week in my cubicle, hard at work—not at my dining room table searching for jobs.

But I just have to keep reminding myself that God has a purpose in it all. He already protected me from getting in over my head by buying a house and draining my savings before I lost my job. I have no reason to doubt that he will continue to guide my fiance and me as we figure out what’s next. Ultimately, it’s his purpose that will stand.

Proverbs 19:22-24
What is desired in a man is steadfast love,
and a poor man is better than a liar.
The fear of the Lord leads to life,
and whoever has it rests satisfied;
he will not be visited by harm.
The sluggard buries his hand in the dish
and will not even bring it back to his mouth.

So what do I do from here? First and foremost, I love steadfastly and fear the Lord. Second, I don’t become lazy and bury my head in disappointment. Instead, I work hard to find a job and trust that God will provide.