In the mid-1800s, a man lost his job as a customs agent. Brokenhearted, he went home to tell his wife. To his amazement, she said "Great! Now you can write your book!" "Yes," he said, "but what will we live on while I'm busy writing?" Her answer startled him. "Well, I've always known you were a man of genius. I knew that one day you would write an immortal masterpiece. So every week I've saved something out of the money you gave me for housekeeping. Here is enough to last one year."
The amazed husband went to his study and began writing. His name? Nathaniel Hawthorne.
His book? The Scarlet Letter.
It became one of the first mass-produced books in the U.S. and even today is considered a classic work of American literature. Novelist D. H. Lawrence called it the "perfect work of American imagination."
It is my prayer that every time you encounter a setback in life you will remember this story. Don't snatch things out of God's hands. Do what you should do, but be patient. God is not finished with you. His promise is that if you remain faithful to him, you will reap (Gal. 6:9). Another payday is coming.