Wildflower Writes

I gave blood the other day. For most people, that's no big deal. I have overcome great obstacles to be able to give blood. When I was 12, my ear started bleeding after I got them pierced. I saw it in the mirror and nearly passed out. When I was 19, I gave blood for the first time in college. I got so dizzy I had to lay on the floor for 45 minutes instead of sipping orange juice. When I was 34, I gave blood at my daughter's school. I passed out. The nurse called my parents to take my daughter and me home. I've given blood a couple times since, always with fear and trepidation that I might have an embarrassing episode. I have to focus on my breathing, be sure not to look at the needle or the tube or the bag, and think about anything else except where I am and what I'm doing (I have a very active imagination). So giving blood is like a rite of passage for me, overcoming a long-held fear of... what? Maybe pain, or death. But when I got the text that my blood typ...

Sometimes, I think I know how my life is supposed to go. I think of Micah 6:8 , "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Follow the rules, keep my nose clean, and God will bless me, right? It's hard enough for me keep my commitments, be a good steward, and maintain good relationships with my family members, let alone anything else God might call me to. According to Joyce Meyer , there's supposed to be more to it than that. God calls us to new challenges, new levels of growth on a regular basis. And every time He does, Satan comes right at us to put obstacles in our path. So, if I'm coasting, I'm right where Satan wants me. I'm not a threat to His work. And that doesn't sit right with me. I'm not saying bring it on. I just know I need to open myself up to what God is calling me to do in this New Year. And like the Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the po...

I am an impatient driver.  If I see a utility or garbage truck slowing traffic, I immediately start thinking of an alternative route to get to my destination.  It may be out of my way, but hopefully I will save time by not waiting in line to bypass the roadblock.  There will always be obstacles to reaching your goals, and sometimes they will be unforeseen.  Sometimes you'll be able to plan an alternate path to get to where you are going.  Other times, you may have to be patient and wait it out.  Once in awhile, something major will come up, and you won't make it to where you were going.  You'll have to change your destination all together. For example, I'm working toward writing full-time.  However, I can't quit my full-time day job to pursue writing, because I don't have a surplus of cash, and it's pretty important that my children get to eat.  Sometimes, I get really frustrated with work issues, and I dread going in.  I read a Bibl...