I spent quite a bit of time in Alaska- Living, Playing, Working, Hiking, Boating, Fishing and Hunting- Alaska is a beautiful place, full of breath-taking scenery- Most everywhere you go there you can stop and take a deep breath and be filled with clean, fresh Mountain Air- If you ever get a chance you should go experience it- The summers are fantastic with almost continuous daylight,,, you seem to never run out of energy-

It is GREAT,,, but there can be one downside when you are out and about,,, No-See-Ums !!!! These are itty bitty biting flies (smaller then mosquito’s)- When they bite they leave a welt with a major itch !!!! We call them No-See-Ums,,, because ,,, unless you get into a swarm of them,,, you can hardly see them,, until they strike !!!! We would wear hat nets like bee keepers but with real small mesh because they will come right through most screen mesh- You cover yourself with insect repellent and try to keep the bare skin to a minimum out in the bush- Anyhow they will always be around to bug you and usually will always find an unprotected spot to attack !!! But,,, there is one thing they can’t handle,,,, a gentle breeze- They can be swarming around you and driving you crazy,,, but as soon as you get a gentle breeze they are driven to ground immediately- Oh how great those gentle breezes are !!!!

It seems to me that we also have another type of No-See-Um in the spiritual realm- I would label them the Demon-No-See-Ums !!! The other night I was a bit in the dumps and was having all kinds of thoughts about,, self-pity,, whoa is me,, pride,, arrogance,, why did I deserve my situation,, prejudice,, greed,, selfishness and give me a break God !!! Well as I was setting there thinking and heating myself up about everything,,, the No-See-Ums came to mind- All these self-serving thoughts I was fighting were just like a swarm of Demon-No-See-Ums attacking from all fronts- For a bit they were winning,,, but then I thought of the gentle breeze that sends Alaska No-See-Ums to ground- I stopped, focused and prayed to God for a bit of heavenly breath/breeze,,, you know what,,, almost instantly the Demon-No-See-Ums must have went to ground,,, because I felt relived and understood the selfishness of my thoughts- You know if you just stop and focus on Jesus and ask,, he will send you the breeze of his powerful breath to send all your Demon-No-See-Ums to ground-

It is a filling breath of fresh air !!!! He is always, always there for you if you just believe in him and accept what he is !!!!!