The Power of a Shield Several months ago, the owner of a local golf course invited me to take my daily morning walks out at his course before opening hours. I was more than happy to take him up on the offer. The course is nestled away in a cove area, at the foot of several adjoining mountains. The sunrises out there are absolutely beautiful. There are several stocked ponds surrounded by cattails on the property, making for some awesome photo opportunities, so I bring my camera along each morning to take nature shots. What an awesome way to start off each day: getting much-needed exercise, spending time in prayer, and taking in the beauty of God’s creation! After a few days of walking along the trails, however, I discovered one minor irritation that prevented me from fully enjoying my time there. There were several places along the trail where I was being attacked by
pesky gnats. One moment I’d be in prayer and meditation, walking along taking in the beauty of Mother Nature, and the next moment I’d be swatting and waving my hands frantically, trying to get rid of the irritating “dive-bombers.” All the benefits of a peaceful morning walk and prayer time were diminished by the aggravating pests. There were a few times when a gnat actually flew, to its death, directly into my eyeball. If you’ve lived in the South for any length of time, you’ve probably experienced this same thing, yourself. One morning I had my worst battle with the pesky insects to date. I don’t think I walked more than 100 yards of my 2.5 mile journey without swatting at the irritants. I had killed more than a dozen of the gnats just by clapping my hands together in front of my face. I’m sure I was a sight to behold, walking along the path, clapping my hands in front of my face! To
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