Fishing

As I lie on the table in the center of this giant machine I cannot move for 20-25 minutes. That is one of the cardinal rules in these treatments. That is difficult especially with all my vitals full of fluid. To help keep the arms still they give me a plastic ring to hold with my hands on my chest. Three therapists are scurrying around to send radiation into my body so precisely that 100% of the protons are delivered to my prostate and none of the radiation exits that area around this walnut-sized gland. I know the basics, but remember my roots are farming, and farmers are curious. I have studied this technology for the past five months and I still don’t have my hands on exactly how this works.

Getting my hands on something reminds me of growing up in rural Mississippi. My dad and uncles would take me with them to hand fish—some call it “noodling”—for catfish in the creek. At that time we did not have all these lakes built on creeks to control flooding, so there were many holes where the catfish would hang out. The trick was to wade slowly into these thigh-deep holes and find a catfish. When you gently touch the catfish, you have to slip both hands carefully around the three very sharp and potent spikes and quickly sling the fish to the bank of the creek.

In Exodus 4 God commanded Moses to pick up the snake by the tail. Who is dumb enough to pick up a snake by the tail? God is saying to Moses, “You let me take care of the head. Your job is to do what I am asking you to do. My job is to take care of the big things.”

That’s a lesson for me for these treatments: I don’t understand all this technology, but I am praising the Father because He has the head and He is in control. My job is not to understand all the technology, but to trust in the Lord, walk with Him, and He will take care of the big things. JOY!