Turning Good Intentions Into Reality, Amidst Scarred Veins

Troy Conrad
Troy Conrad

We can quickly find people who want to be part of success, but not nearly as many stay on to share in the struggle.

"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it." Proverbs 3:27

I'm a man of good intentions. Seriously.

I intend to do a lot of things. A few things, maybe even, well. But the problem is the best of my intentions run smack dab into the walls of reality.

I recently read an article that stated there is a blood shortage in the blood banks in our area and they need people to help donate. Back when I was eight years old, I had open heart surgery. During the recovery phase, the doctors and nurses told me several times that they were concerned about the amount of blood they had in reserves.

That has quite an effect on a kid.

So, I resolved to give blood as often as I could. And, for a long time I did. At least twice a year, sometimes more. When I could drive myself, I was a regular at the blood bank. I wish I could say that my blood is worth something, but like everything else about me, I'm about as normal as they come. The only thing I got was a couple of free cookies and a small glass of apple juice to wash them down.

When I was in college, I had an unsettling experience. The nurse who was locating the vein into my arm looked at me in a weird way, put down the needle and went to consult with another nurse. They both talked and looked at me for a bit and then came over to my chair.

"What's wrong?" I asked, fearing something really bad.

"Son," the older nurse asked. "Do you have a drug addiction?"

A drug addiction? Seriously? Me?

I asked them what in the world they were talking about and after a couple of minutes of explanation the older nurse said, "It's your veins. They're all scarred over."

I really never noticed before. But when she said something about it, you could see several little white scars on both of my arms. I assured them that I wasn't addicted to drugs. I even showed them the scars from my surgeries.

"I've had IVs, gave blood about twice a month and four times a day when I was in the hospital," I told them. "I never thought it would leave scars."

They went ahead and took my blood and when I became a regular it became a running joke every time I saw them.

Then one day, the nurse was having a pretty difficult time getting the needle into a vein. She tried several times, in both arms. She just shrugged and said my veins were just too scarred to give blood.

Over the years, I've been to the doctor quite a few times and I've had to either give blood or get shots of some kind. At first it was just annoying, having the nurses dig around in my arm until the needle finally got into a blood vessel. Then, one day, when giving blood, the nurse apparently had pushed so hard on my vein that the needle went all the way through. A huge blood bump formed on my arm. It upset the nurse more than me. But that's happened to me now, nearly every time I've given blood. But that hasn't stopped me from giving blood. I still have good intentions. But sometimes reality gets in the way.

Every time I read a story about the need for donated blood, I remember what it felt like to be lying in a hospital bed and the doctors fret over the amount of blood they had on hand. And my good intentions come back.

So, I'm going to go give some blood.

I'll warn the nurse ahead of time about my scarred arms and veins. But say a prayer for me if you don't mind. And remember, what Proverbs tells us. Don't wait to do good for someone else. Especially when it's in your power to turn your intentions into reality.

PASTOR TROY CONRAD IS MINISTER OF THE FARMINGTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH. EMAIL: [email protected]. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.

Religion on 01/25/2017