What If Your Setback Is Really God’s Setup?

One unexpected conversation, a new career path, and a lot of gratitude.

In the early 2000s, I worked as a newspaper reporter in the small town near where I grew up.
It was a great place to work, and I got to see a lot of neat things. I covered local government meetings, some sports, and the occasional small-town excitement like wrecks, law enforcement updates, and the like. I even got a few perks, like free tickets to Nashville events. One time I spent a whole weekend at Gaylord Opryland Hotel to preview their Christmas celebration. (Tough job, right?)

But in 2004, everything changed.
The paper was sold, and one Friday afternoon, I was laid off without warning.

No thank-you speech.
No gold watch.
Just a stunned walk to my car and a sinking feeling about how in the world I was going to pay my new mortgage.

Those were scary days.
I pieced things together with unemployment checks and a part-time job. The Lord provided, but that lingering unknown was heavy. Six months of job-hunting turned up nothing. I was about to run out of options...and money.

Then one afternoon, I was eating lunch with my stepdad Tom at Shoney’s. (As one does when they need to think deep thoughts.)
A man Tom knew walked by, and Tom, because Tom has lived here less years than me, but seems to know more people, said, "Hey Don, my son Maury here needs a job. You know anything?"

Don actually did.
A Walgreens was about to open in town, and they were hiring.

Desperation will give you courage you didn’t know you had.
I drove straight down the road, walked into Walgreens, and politely asked to speak to the manager.

Enter Adam. Or Mr. W as he was affectionately called.
(And the turning point I didn’t even realize was happening.)

Adam sat down with me right there in the middle of the unfinished store.
I told him about my background. How my first job was working in a grocery store, bagging groceries, cashiering, managing a department.
He said he had a spot open: SIMS Coordinator. Basically, inventory control. Making sure the system was right because ordering was automatic.

It wasn't glamorous.
It wasn't writing front-page stories or previewing Christmas at the Opryland Hotel.

But it was a chance.
And it was mine.

I caught on quickly. It felt good to be solving problems, to be part of a team again.
After the store opened, Adam asked if I had ever thought about going into management.
I was hesitant until we talked about the pay.
Spoiler: the pay helped me get over my hesitation.

I got promoted, and that’s where the real education started.
If you ever hear someone ask, “Who would be on your Mount Rushmore of leadership?” Adam would definitely be carved into mine.

He led by example.
He taught me constantly, not by tearing me down, but by building me up.

One time, he let me design a Christmas endcap (those displays at the ends of store aisles). I picked a pet gift display, complete with a homemade Snoopy doghouse for attention. That was what we called an "eagle" in retail. (Something so eye-catching you had to stop.)
It did okay, but Adam later showed me how to build displays that were both creative and profitable.
Every project was a learning moment.

He believed in running the store like your name was on the sign. Something I carried into every leadership role after.
When other stores would scramble because a company executive was visiting, our store barely blinked.
We lived ready.

Later, even after moving on to a different Walgreens with a different manager, those lessons stuck.
And when I left retail to become a teacher, that constant state of visit-readiness made classroom management second nature.
I taught like the principal might walk in at any moment because the best way to prepare is to always be prepared.

All these years later, I still carry what Adam taught me.
Leadership. Stewardship. Pride in your work.
Correction without condemnation.
Confidence rooted in competence.

I didn't know it at the time, but losing my job at the newspaper was one of the best things that ever happened to me.
Because it led me to Mr. W.
It led me to a second chance.
And it led me to skills that have shaped every chapter of my life since.

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I look back now and see God’s hand guiding each step. What felt like an ending at the newspaper was really a beginning. Losing that job didn’t catch Him off guard—He was already preparing the right people, the right opportunity, and the right lessons for me.

That’s the beauty of God’s providence: He doesn’t waste a single detour. Romans 8:28 reminds us that “we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Even the layoffs. Even the waiting. Even the Shoney’s lunches.

Maybe you’re staring down uncertainty right now—wondering how the bills will get paid, or how your story is going to move forward. Take heart: God is still writing. What feels like a closed door might just be the doorway to the place He needs you most.

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The right mentor can change everything. Who’s someone that made you better without even realizing it? Maybe today’s the day to send them a thank you.