Even When All Systems Are Go

Every doctor's office has one nurse that is an expert needle sticker. She's the one the others recruit when they haven't been successful at getting a good stick for a blood draw. I had that nurse to begin with yesterday when I went to have blood drawn. I asked her to use a butterfly needle, which she did. She had me pump both arms and slapped both arms and poked around to find a good vein. I was impressed--most nurses just try on one arm and then end up sticking me in both arms by the time it's all over. But this time seemed different.

But she still had to dig around a bit with the needle to get the blood to flow out. I held on as long as I could, but apparently my system couldn't take it. I passed out. I tend to do that, but I hadn't done it in over ten years. I've come close a couple of times in the last decade, but despite all the good signs that yesterday's doctor visit was going to go well, it didn't.

Sometimes that happens in life. We can plan and plan, and everything looks like it's going to be successful, but it isn't. In these times, there are two things we should do:

1) Thank God for what we have. Fortunately, my husband was with me yesterday, so I wasn't alone. Even in the direst circumstances, we can always thank God for something. Just the fact that He loves us and sent His Son to die in our stead is something for which we should thank Him.
2) Acknowledge that God is ultimately in control of our lives. We can do all we can think of to ensure success, but God is in control. I wish we remembered this more often. Think of how much less stressed we'd feel.

This is all not to say that we shouldn't plan ahead and make sure our ducks are in a row. God wants us to be wise in our plans. But we must remember that He's got the whole world in His hands, and that includes us.