B – Blood {26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God, A-Z}
“The finest gesture one can make is to save life by donating blood.”
– on a t-shirt
B—Blood
Have you seen any blood today? Likely you will. Or at least reminders of blood.
Blood is life.
Whether it’s a cut or a period, blood is a strong indicator of aliveness, past or present.
And where there is life, there is God.
In the Old Testament, blood played a huge part in many of the stories.
- God wanted blood accounted for if a life was taken.
- He prohibited eating animals with blood still in them.
- He had specific commands on handling the blood of sacrificed animals.
- Blood smeared on doorposts blocked death from entering.
In the New Testament, the shadowing came to actualization. Christ’s blood, the perfect blend of deity and humanity, became the perpetual gift of life to all who believe.
His blood drained gave us life gained.
Try This
Let blood lead you to encounters with God today.
Don’t cut yourself to find blood, but watch for it as a colorful red reminder that God is alive, he is moving, he is life-giving.
Learn More
- Your own blood can literally save the lives of others. How much do you know about blood donation? Take this quiz.
- Blood shortages often occur each summer, but donations were also down in September. Donations are needed to replenish the blood supply and be prepared for emergencies. See if you are eligible to donate blood.
- Looking for a place to donate blood? Search here for Red Cross blood drives or LifeSouth Community Blood Centers.
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Are you squeamish about seeing blood? How has seeing blood led you to an encounter with God? Please share in the comments.
Coming up next
- C – Collections
Do you have any collections in your home? There’s a reason. See how to encounter God in them.
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- It’s Wedding Day {26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God, A-Z}
- C – Collections {26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God, A-Z}
My husband donates blood on a regular basis, I tried once and almost passed out.
Blood is life, it’s precious. We often don’t think about it until we need it or its pouring put of us. Sadly we often treat God the same.
Great post.
I used to donate blood, but the past few times I’ve tried, they’ve turned me away for one reason or another (they don’t like travel to Central America, for one thing!). It’s great that your husband donates. You’re right that we take blood for granted until something drastic happens, yes, often like we treat God. 🙁 I have a cut on my arm from this weekend and I hope I use the “blood” I see as a reminder to thank God for his presence!
Lisa, this is such a neat way to describe the power of the spilt blood of our Lord Jesus Christ: “His blood drained gave us life gained.” Amen! Coincidentally, I did bleed a bit this morning as a hangnail finally yielded to my teeth. Blood is a strong reminder of life and vitality, of God’s heart beating in our own. Great post! Blessed to be your neighbour at the #glimpsesofhisbeauty link up.
I’m sorry you bled this morning, but glad it fit in with what we’re looking at today. 🙂 I’ve already seen blood a couple of times today too so it’s good to be reminded of “God’s heart beating in our own” (love your phrasing!). Thanks for sharing.
My husband is in the five gallon club already I believe. He gives blood every six weeks and has also given platelets.
My God encounter came with the birth of my grandchild. I was blessed to be invited to be a part of the birth by my daughter and son-in-law. After Lexi was born there was blood everywhere. Literally everywhere! Even splattered on the delivering doctors glasses. Everyone was fine, including my daughter, but I was so surprised I didn’t feel squeemish. I believe it was because prior to Lexi’s birth the room got quite chaotic and scary. I had commented that if I could sweat drops of blood I would have with how fervently I prayed. Seeing the aftermath of the blood actually gave me peace because the Lord had heard my prayers and blessed me with safety for my daughter and a very healthy granddaughter.
Very thought-provoking post. Thanks for sharing!
Wow–your husband is awesome. What a great gift to give to others so frequently. And what a beautiful story of blood that you’re sharing here! I’m sure Lexi continues to be a reminder to you of God’s living grace and love. Thanks for sharing, Karen.
Hi Lisa! I give blood, but not on a regular basis. Once, I was denied because of travel I had done, so I think twice before I go. But speaking with my nurses cap on, blood donation is vital. Anyone who has had a blood transfusion knows how important that treatment is. It doesn’t take much to give…and you get cookies and juice when you’re done 🙂
Blessings,
Ceil
The cookies and juice are always an incentive to me to donate blood. 🙂 But I do love the selflessness that goes into giving blood. I admire people who do it frequently. I’ve also been denied because of overseas travel and it was quite the bummer. Thankfully I’ve never needed a blood transfusion, but if I ever do, I know how grateful I will be of donors! Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us, Ceil!
I donate blood when I can (but I also suffer from anemia, so I can’t donate very often :/). I know how vital blood is–my husband received many transfusions–some from me, some from strangers. Blood saves lives!
How wonderful that you’ve personally seen that blood transfusions make a difference! (although the need for it wasn’t wonderful….) I’m glad you were able to give some to your husband, Anita; what a neat feeling that must have been to know that some of your literal blood was flowing in his veins!
I remember learning about how the animal sacrifices were really done. Goodness, talk about a lot of blood. The stench and the death, it was a picture of the cost of sin. We’re so far removed from that picture today. Your post is a good reminder that the life is in the blood, and whose blood was shed so that we may live life eternal. Blessings!
I don’t think I would have been a very good Jew back in the day. All that animal sacrifice would have made me nauseous! You’re right that it was quite a bloodier mess than we typically think about. But yes, what a picture of the cost of sin. Thanks for sharing this aspect of it, June!
Great post… and feeling pretty swell about myself right about now.
I gave last week. Since they started sharing with you where your blood goes to and the gender and age of the people that it helps, it’s hard not to donate. Pretty easy deal to help.
The essence of life that carries more technology than the smarter computers have yet to figure out… but they’re getting there.
Oh, wow—I didn’t know they gave you all that information now. What a cool thing. I’ve been denied the past few times I’ve tried to donate due to previous travel and a surgery. But maybe now I’ll be all clear. Thanks for sharing that info, Floyd. And thanks for donating! We used to say, we’d never know the life you saved, but now maybe we can know.
I don’t give blood, and have no excuses at all. In fact a van comes and parks near the office regularly. … Next time it comes round I shall go and volunteer.
I tend only to notice blood when it’s out of place. I don’t think about the crucifixion much, I’m afraid (I think about the passion and the ressurection, but I miss out the middle bit :D). I have been thinking about the Eucharist a lot lately, but more in terms of the covenant and the meal.
I think about food a lot. Probably the main reason I could never be a Jehovah’s witness is because I like black pudding so much.
David
Noticing blood when it’s out of place…yes, that can be quite jarring. That grabs my attention too. I noticed blood on my arm after my daughter’s wedding on Sunday. After thinking about it, I decided it must have been from the pin on my corsage. 🙂
I think about food a lot too. But I’ve never had black pudding. Maybe I needn’t try it; I don’t need to crave any more foods.
Let me know if you give blood the next time the van comes around! I wonder if the blood donation process is very different between the States and England.
Oh, what a fun 31 days topic, Lisa. Dealing with young children, unfortunately, provides an alarming share of exposure to blood. It’s nice sometimes to have visceral reminders of the things we take for granted in scripture and hymns – language about the power of Jesus’ blood. I look forward to following your series 🙂
Ha. You’re right, Kelly. We do tend to see blood flowing more freely with children than adults. I suppose we grow to be more careful about spilling blood as we age. I agree that these tangible reminders are good prompts for us to bring our thoughts to spiritual things that we might otherwise take for granted.
I give blood, but its not easy for me as I tend to grow faint. It is so important though because others are in desperate need. There is so much power in the blood of Jesus! Thanks for sharing!
You prove that giving blood does come with a price, Barbie. Makes the blood of Jesus all the more special!
There is power by the blood shed on the cross! For something that really does make many squeamish, it has such deep significance! My husband donates regularly when he hasn’t traveled to the wrong places! He has the universal blood type which keeps them calling us all the time to get him in!
Blessings, my friend!
Lori
My husband used to get called to donate blood all the time because his type is more rare. I’m thankful for people that do donate! It is such a gift. Blood is definitely a strong image of Christ’s love for us. Thanks for sharing, Lori. Just found your comment from last week in my spam folder. It’s been working overtime lately, unfortunately. 🙁