Mike Weaver

My Rock, My Refuge

I had the opportunity over the last year to visit coastal Georgia and tour some of the wonderful old forts and settlements that surround the Savannah area. Some of these structures go back hundreds of years to the dates Georgia was founded by George Oglethorpe. I found the structures so fascinating and it was amazing the amount of thought and care that went into their design; things I would have never thought of. Many were facing in certain directions for better visibility. Others were on cliffs or near natural barriers for additional safety. Most of the forts were heavily fortified with sections for cannons and firearms. Some of the forts even had underground tunnels or escape routes.

As I walked through different parts of the fort, there was a calmness of protection and safety. I found myself imagining those times and living in the fort. Perhaps I might have been one of the soldiers protecting the others. Or, perhaps, I might have been a skilled tradesman such as a blacksmith or store owner. Whatever my role would have been, the peace and serenity offered by the fort was breathtaking.

As Christians, we’re all the time faced with “life” and everything that it throws at us. From health concerns to job concerns to financial concerns or even relationship issues. Even though nothing in the World seems stable any more, there is one rock that never fails. As Christians, we have the faith to believe that Christ is our rock and our refuge in times of need or times of trouble. Or, simply at times we just want to feel loved and secure. Our rock has never failed and will never leave us.

As you look at your life today, simply remind yourself that God is your fortress and your rock and is always someone with whom you can take refuge.

Empty Room and Full Heart

Encouragement

This past Mother’s Day I was thinking back on the life of my own mom. Mom passed away in 2006 but was always such a positive influence on my life. In fact, her impact on my life is still evident today. Mom had many medical problems and was always in pain; yet, she always remained positive and always was looking out for the well-being of others. Even though she was in worse health than most of those she encountered, she always found time to make sure they knew she cared for them.

I’ll never forget that sad day in 2006 when it was time for her funeral. In her case, it was somewhat of a blessing that she was no longer in pain but obviously sad for me and my family that we would no longer get to see her bright smile. The church sanctuary was filled with friends and family and the service was brightened by mom’s favorite hymns and stories about her life and testimony. The entire service was so very comforting to me and my family.

After the burial, I arrived back at the sanctuary where the service had been conducted earlier that day. For some reason, I just wanted to visit the church one more time. I’ll never forget how I felt that evening when I walked back in the church. The sanctuary was empty. All the flowers had been removed. There was not a sound in the building except an occasional creak in the floor. Just me in this large church building.

As I walked around the empty church, it reminded me of those times in my life when I have felt alone and isolated. It reminded me of times when I felt like it was me against the world. It reminded me of times when I felt insignificant and unappreciated and defeated. It reminded me of those times when I felt like I was the only one. But, just as the sadness of the day and the pain of the moment reached its peak, my eyes landed on an open bible sitting on a table in the front of the church. Seeing God’s Word reminded me of God’s presence. I realized that I really wasn’t alone.

All of us go through those times when we feel like no one cares. We have those times when life just continues to beat us down and it’s as if we are standing in an empty room all by ourselves. When you have those days in your own life, I hope you’ll be reminded, as I was that day, that you’re never truly alone. Even when everyone turns the other way, as long as you have Jesus, that is really all you need anyway.

Dark Shadows

Encouragement

My wife and I just returned from a much needed vacation in the Smoky Mountains. We were able to take our camper and enjoy the great weather and the many things to see and do. I dare say that we “shopped until we dropped” on many days. The best part though was that we had the opportunity to simply take a break from our normal daily routines and just kick back our feet and enjoy the beauty of the mountains.

Another exciting part of this trip was that this was the first opportunity to take our new dog Remi with us camping. I had mentioned in a prior post that he is new to our family and has been with us almost a year now. We weren’t sure how he would do being around all the other campers with all the excitement that goes on in a normal campground, but we were pleasantly surprised. We had the opportunity to go on several hikes and we could have hiked all day with Remi and he would still keep going. He has much more energy than I do and he really enjoyed the hiking trails and streams and such.

On one particular hike, we were walking in a very shady, calm part of the forest. As we meandered down the dark trail, we could see a small ray of sunshine working it’s way through the thick tree canopy. As Remi got closer to the light, he began to see his shadow. Unknown to him, it was his own shadow. It was hilarious to see how this large shadow of himself actually scared him for a brief few seconds and caused him to run between my legs for protection.

This little episode with Remi got me thinking about those inevitable shadows that we face in life sometimes. It seems like we can be walking along just fine when, all of a sudden, we are rocked and scared by a shadow we didn’t see coming. When those shadows do come your way—-and they will—always remember a couple of things as you go through the darkness: (1) There can’t be a shadow unless there is also light nearby. Even when things may appear to be at their darkest, always remind yourself that God’s light is a close as your heartbeat and He will always see you through your journey; and (2) The shadow always appears larger than the real object. The angle of the light shining through the trees that day made it appear that Remi’s shadow was as large as a giant bear but, in reality, the real object was as small as the dog itself. Our minds have a way to make things seem worse than they really are. Our job is to stay focused on the never-changing truth of God.

Your Key to Happiness

Encouragement, Life's Priorities

I know I am not alone when I talk about this but, just last week, I was searching and searching for the keys to my car. I looked in my usual place which was on my bedside table. When they weren’t there, I looked under the bed. I looked on the bedside table on the opposite side of the bed. I looked in the kitchen. I looked in other bedrooms. I looked under couches and everywhere I could think to look. Still, no keys. With each passing moment, I got angrier and angrier. “Who took my keys?” “Why did someone move my keys,” I continued to mutter to myself. Finally, after several minutes of fuming, my wife walks in the room and says, “I have your keys.” They were in her pocket. All this time of searching and my wife had the keys the entire time.

As I thought about that funny moment, it reminded me so much of how we allow others to control our emotions and feelings. I can tell you countless times when I have allowed others to negatively impact my life. I should have cut them out of my life or confronted them, but I didn’t. Instead, I let them control how I felt. I was miserable but only because I allowed them to have control.

Over time, I learned that there are many times when we not only need to include positive people in our lives more often, but we also need to cut out negative people from our lives. It’s hard to do, but sometimes necessary. Once I learned to do just that, my roller coaster emotions changed for the good.

If you feel like your life is out of control or your “misery index” is to the max, you may be where I was. As yourself this question: “Are the keys to my happiness in someone else’s pockets?” If so, it may be time to change.

Close But Yet So Far

God's Grace, God's Will, Life's Priorities

My wife and I recently became the proud owners of a new dog. We haven’t owned a dog in about 10 years, so we decided now was the right time to give it a go again. This particular dog had a previous owner who was no longer able to keep him. The prior owners introduced us to Remi and, I have to admit, he stole our hearts. We first agreed to let him stay with us for a weekend to see how things went and if we thought he was a good fit long-term. Well, that was May of last year and Remi is still with us and part of the family.

Remi likes the stability of his new home and has settled into quite the routine. He is pretty lazy most of the day and then wants to play during the late afternoon, before dinner. After dinner, it’s snuggle time for him. He goes out of his way to find me and make sure he sits with me. I don’t have to search for him. He is looking for me. To me, this is my favorite time of day. Mind you he is about 60 pounds and snuggles up on the couch with his head in my lap and making sure that I am touching him somewhere. We don’t have to do anything. We don’t have to go anywhere. We just sit on the couch and enjoy each other’s company. Nothing more than me adoring him and vice-versa. It is just simple daily communication to show him that I care for him and enjoy his companionship.

This closeness and affection, with no strings attached, is exactly the relationship our Heavenly Father wants us to have with HIM. In thinking about my own Christian Life, I can’t say that my relationship with God has always been that close. There have been many times that our relationship was distant and almost non-existent. It wasn’t because I didn’t believe in God or didn’t care for God. If I’m being honest, it was because I was too busy and didn’t want to be bothered. It seemed like a chore to have a relationship with God and not a privilege. It seemed like I always had to give up something in order to have a relationship with God.

Maybe there is a reason you aren’t reaching out. Maybe, you are where I have been in the past continually asking yourself: What has God really done for me? Why does it seem like he’s forgotten me? Well, trust me; I’ve been there. I had to come to the realization that the mere fact I was asking those questions of God and hungering for an answer meant that God had not given up on me. If HE had given up on me, HE wouldn’t be creating the desire in me to question. Once I realized that, it became easier and easier to realize that God was as close as I wanted him to be.

The sad part is that God is yearning for a relationship with us. All it takes is some quiet time to pray and read and meditate on how God has worked in your life and the realization that God is there for you. Just some time each day to stop and be thankful for all that He has done. I can promise you that if you reach out to God, He will be there waiting with open arms.

As Remi and I are sitting here in our warm home on our comfortable couch on a cold winter night, I am reminded of an even greater relationship I have with the Heavenly Father. A relationship of love and support. Maybe I can’t physically touch God, but I certainly can feel His touch in every aspect of my life. I don’t ever want that feeling to go way.

How is your relationship with God? HE is just around the corner waiting for you to come home.

Staying in Your Lane

God's Will

I’ve been spending a lot of time in the car this week, driving back from a business conference. I am not a fan of flying so I decided to take the scenic route and enjoy the peace and quiet of several hours in the car alone. I know most of you would hate driving as much as I have this week, but it gave me a lot of time to think about different things and realize once again how God has so wonderfully directed my path.

During one particular stretch of roadway, I encountered miles and miles of construction. Construction delays are never something I want to see when I am on a long trip. I was already tired of driving and construction delays just made things worse. There was signage everywhere warning drivers to slow down and merge lanes. I noticed one particular set of signs instructing trucks to drive only in the right lane; I assumed that this was for safety reasons. As I looked ahead, I saw a long line of 18-wheelers in the right lane as far as my eyes could see. Every truck managed to follow the instructions and stay in their own lane.

Each of us has been given a God-given purpose and mission. What that mission or purpose is depends on the unique gifts and talents that God has blessed you with. We are all different but all of our gifts work together to further God’s kingdom. There have been many times in my own life where I have drifted or strayed from my God-given purpose or, sometimes, driven down the wrong path. My vision for what God’s purpose was in my life was totally different than God’s actual purpose for my life. In essence, I was driving down the wrong lane. I was out of place by trying to be something I wasn’t.

One of my favorite versus in the Bible is Hebrews 12:1 which says, in part, “And, let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…” This verse makes a point to say that you have a race (purpose) designed for you. All we have to do is make sure we are in the right lane and not give-up. Trouble will always follow you when you are in the wrong lane. If you are going through one of those seasons in life when nothing makes sense or things just seem to be hitting a dead-end, ask yourself: “Am I in the right lane?”

Spend some time this week asking God to make clear your God-given mission and purpose and help you merge into the correct lane so that you can run YOUR race, not someone else’s.

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