There's a verse I keep coming back to lately. Maybe you know it too.

"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 3:5 to 6 (NIV)

I've read that verse more times than I can count. But some seasons make you read it differently. This is one of those seasons for me.

What changed

In September, a company that I had spent nearly the last two years with, who was my number one client, very abruptly ended. The company was sold, and the new owner came in with their own team. That's how business works sometimes. Nobody did anything wrong. But it meant my main paycheck was gone.

I'm not sharing that for sympathy. Plenty of people have walked through far harder things than this. I'm sharing it because it's honest, and because I believe God is doing something in it, even if I can't see the whole picture yet.

Where I'm going now

So I'm going all in. I'm now working full time on the two businesses I've been building: IronGate Property Group, where we invest in Section 8 real estate, and Southern Coastal Printing, our DTF apparel printing business here in Southwest Florida.

Is that the plan I would have written for myself this season? Probably not. But I'm learning, again, that my plans were never the point.

God's plan doesn't need my approval

Here's what I believe with my whole heart. God always has the best plan for you. Even when you don't understand it. Even when you don't know why.

His plan is always leading you to where He needs you.

That doesn't mean it's easy. It doesn't mean it's comfortable. And it definitely doesn't mean it's always what you want. Sometimes the road He puts you on is one you never would have picked.

But that's the thing about following Christ. It's not about what I want. It's about honoring Him, in any way, in any season, with whatever He puts in front of me.

That's a hard truth to live out. It's easy to say "I trust God" when everything is lined up. It's a different thing to say it when a door closes that you thought would stay open.

All things, not some things

The second verse I'm holding onto is this one:

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 (NIV)

Notice it says all things. Not just the good days. Not just the wins. All things.

That verse doesn't promise that everything will feel good. It promises that God is working. Even in the closed doors. Even in the changes we didn't ask for. Even in the moments we don't understand.

And notice who it's for: those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. His purpose, not mine. That's the part I have to keep surrendering.

What honoring Him looks like right now

For me, honoring God in this season looks pretty simple.

It looks like showing up every day and doing the work in front of me with integrity. It looks like treating the families who live in our properties with dignity and respect. It looks like serving our printing customers well and being someone people can trust.

It looks like being a good husband to my wife, Sam, and leading our home with faith instead of fear.

And it looks like praying more than I plan. Planning is good. I'm a business owner, and I believe in being wise. But I'd rather follow His lead than run ahead with my own.

If you're in a season you don't understand

Maybe you're reading this and you're in the middle of something that doesn't make sense either. A job that ended. A plan that fell apart. A prayer that hasn't been answered the way you hoped.

I want to encourage you: you are not forgotten. God has not lost track of you.

You don't have to understand the plan to trust the One who wrote it. You don't need every answer today. You just need to take the next faithful step.

The path might not look straight right now. But Proverbs promises that when we trust Him and submit our ways to Him, He will make our paths straight. Not us. Him.

So keep going. Keep praying. Keep honoring Him in the small things. Where you are right now is not the end of your story.

God is still writing it. And He is really, really good at what He does.