Well now, pull up a chair and let this old Southern boy pour you a glass of sweet tea. It feels like just yesterday, but the calendar tells me it’s been twenty long years since Hurricane Katrina tore through my home state of Louisiana. Twenty years. Lord have mercy, time does fly.
I was talking with a buddy of mine the other day about that very thing. We remembered the heartbreak, the chaos, and the sight of folks losing everything they’d ever known. But as we sat there, on a quiet Georgia afternoon, we came to an agreement on something that might sound a little peculiar at first. For so many of those folks who were scattered to the four winds by that storm, life ended up… well, it ended up better.
When the Storm Comes, God’s Still Stirring
Now, hold on before you think I’ve lost my mind. I’m not downplaying the tragedy. But sometimes, the Good Lord has to stir the pot, even when the stirring is violent and scary. People were forced out of situations they’d been stuck in for generations. They landed in places like Texas, Georgia, and Tennessee, and had to start fresh. They found new jobs, new communities, new opportunities they never would have looked for otherwise. It was a terrible, awful blessing in disguise—a painful rebirth that led to unforeseen growth.
The Great Government Stirring of 2025
That conversation got the wheels turning in my head, especially after watching the news this Labor Day. I saw all those folks up in Washington D.C., protesting and hollering about the government makin’ cuts. They’re mad about jobs being trimmed and the government belt being tightened. I understand their fear, I truly do. Losing a job is a storm in any family’s life. It feels like the ground is fallin’ out from under you.
It put me in mind of a report I stumbled across from John Stossel. He was talking about these big union deals that make the headlines. You see the union bosses on TV, braggin’ about the historic contracts they won for their workers. They get more pay, more benefits—a real short-run sugar high.
The Unintended Consequences of Getting What We Want
But then Stossel showed what happens next. He talked about UPS, where the Teamsters got a massive deal that would pay drivers up to $170,000 a year. Sounds great, right? Well, a year later, UPS had laid off 20,000 workers and closed over 70 facilities. The company lost business because their costs went sky-high. Then there was the trucking company, Yellow Corp. The union pushed and pushed for more money, even when the company was on the verge of going bust. The union got what it wanted, and just a few days later, the whole company went belly up. 30,000 jobs, gone in a flash.
The union leaders won the battle, but the families—the very people they were supposed to be protectin’—lost the war. It reminded me of that old saying: “Be careful what you pray for – you just might get it.”
And it strikes me that maybe we’re seeing a bigger version of that right now. For decades, we’ve been told that the government is the answer, that a government job is the safest bet, that we can keep spending and demanding more without any consequence. But just like with those companies, the bill eventually comes due. A family can’t spend more than it makes for long, and a country can’t either.
This government shrinking, this belt-tightening… it’s a storm, no doubt about it. It’s scary and it’s causing real pain for folks. But I have to ask, with my faith as my anchor, could this be another one of God’s ways of stirring the pot?
Faith in the Stirring Season
You see, I believe God sometimes allows the pot to get stirred – whether it’s by natural disasters, economic upheaval, or even misguided union demands – because He knows we need to be moved from where we are to where He wants us to be.
Maybe, just maybe, it’s a painful correction that we’ve needed for a long, long time. Maybe it’s a chance to stop looking to a government program or a union contract for our security and start looking back to where true strength comes from: our faith, our families, and our own two hands. Real security isn’t a piece of paper from Washington; it’s knowing how to work hard, how to innovate, and having a family that loves and supports you when you stumble. It’s trusting that God will see you through the lean times, just like He’s seen me through times when I surely didn’t deserve His grace.
The folks who rebuilt their lives after Katrina didn’t do it because of a government handout. They did it with grit, with resilience, and with the help of neighbors and strangers who became family. They found a deeper strength they never knew they had.
And these government workers who are losing their jobs? Some of them might discover entrepreneurial spirits they never knew they had. Others might find their true calling in the private sector. Still others might realize they were meant to serve their communities in completely different ways.
What Our Families Need to Remember
I’ve been thinking about what lessons my own family – and yours – need to take from all this stirring that’s happening around us. Here’s what this old Southern boy has learned:
First, when the storms come – and they will come – don’t assume it’s punishment. Sometimes it’s redirection.
Second, just because we can demand something doesn’t mean we should. Whether it’s union workers demanding wages that kill companies or government employees expecting job security while the nation drowns in debt, there’s wisdom in knowing when enough is enough.
Third, God’s got a plan even when we can’t see it. Those 30,000 Yellow freight workers who lost their jobs? God’s not done with their stories yet. Neither is He done with ours.
So, as we watch these storms brew in our country, let’s pray for the families caught in the middle. But let’s also pray for wisdom and perspective. Sometimes the things that look like ruin are actually the start of a much-needed renewal. Sometimes the pot has to be stirred so all the best flavors can finally come to the top.
The Blessing in the Breaking
Friends, I’ve lived long enough to know that some of life’s greatest blessings come disguised as disasters. My own family has weathered storms that would make a hurricane blush, and every single time – every single time – God has brought us through to something better than what we lost.
Maybe that’s what America needs right now. Maybe we need some government stirring, some union reality checks, some good old-fashioned accountability. Maybe we need to remember that this nation was built by folks who didn’t expect the government to take care of them from cradle to grave.
A Prayer for the Stirring Season
Lord, as we remember those lost in Katrina twenty years ago, and as we watch the stirring happening in our nation today, help us trust You with the process. When jobs are lost, help us find new purposes. When systems change, help us adapt with grace. When the pot gets stirred, help us remember that You’re the one doing the stirring, and You always – always – have our best interests at heart.
Give those protesters in Washington the wisdom to see that sometimes smaller government means bigger opportunities. Give those union leaders the humility to realize that killing the goose that lays the golden eggs helps nobody. And give all of us the faith to trust You with whatever changes are coming our way.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Stay faithful, y’all. Hug your family tight, and thank the Good Lord for the blessings you have today.
Well now, that’s my two cents on this Labor Day 2025. Remember, friends, life is like a good bowl of gumbo – sometimes the best flavor comes from letting it simmer through some stirring. Y’all take care, and remember to count your blessings, even when they come wrapped in packages you didn’t expect.
Grateful as always,
Dean
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What do you think, friends? Have you seen God’s hand in the stirring seasons of your own life? Drop me a line at deaninsavannah@gmail.com – I’d love to hear your stories.
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