03/03/2004: "Green Thumb"

Once there was a little girl named Trina, she had a lovely room and in the corner a small shelf. She had several pretty things on it but she felt it was still somewhat bare. So she decided that she would find a very pretty rock to put on her shelf. Trina went down by the creek to begin her search but all she saw was plain brown round rocks. Really they were quite ugly.

She lifted rocks and looked around but nothing special, just plain brown rocks. Some were big and some were small but none of them were special. She had wandered farther down the creek than normal and was about to head back home when she saw something that caught the light. It seemed to glisten. She walked over to look at it.

It was an odd looking green rock. It was shiny like gold but it was not gold and it was green. She took it to the creek and washed it off. Really it was very pretty and very unusual. She had found her special rock. Trina was very happy and ran home to show her mom and dad the wonderful green rock. They too had never seen such a rock and they were happy for her that she had found it.

Often as little girls do with their new treasures Trina decided to sleep with her special rock that night. She held it tight in her hand as she went to sleep with her thumb pressed hard against it. When she woke up the next morning the rock was still in her hand. But she noticed that her hand felt odd. It sort of tingled and just felt unusual.

But when she went to look at her hand to see what might be wrong with it she was shocked to see that her thumb had turned green. She went to the bathroom to wash it off but it wouldn’t wash off. She ran to the breakfast table to show her mom and dad and ask them what to do.

“Oh my,” said her mom, “It is green. Well it must be that rock. How does it feel honey?”

“It feels funny,” Trina said, “It is all tingly and I don’t know just weird feeling. Am I going to be ok?”

“Well I think so,” her mom stuttered looking at her dad for support. “We’ve never really seen anything like this before. I tell you what I will make an appointment with the doctor first thing and we will see what he thinks.”

The idea of seeing the doctor made Trina feel better. The doctor would know what to do. But when Trina got there the doctor looked puzzled too. He kept going off to look something up in his medical journals and coming back to see if her symptoms matched. Finally he said that he had an idea of what it might be but he did not have the equipment to verify it. He needed Trina to go to a special scientist doctor far away. She would have to fly on a plane to go there. Trina had never been on a plane.

Trina’s mom talked to the doctor in the hall for a while and then she took Trina home. They made arrangements to fly to the special scientific lab the next day. Both Trina’s mom and dad came. She was glad because this whole thing was getting pretty scary. They took the rock with them in a special bag the doctor let them use.

When they got to the lab the scientific doctors treated her like she had the measles or something and like they were afraid of catching it. They put a special metal glove on her hand and a brace that held her arm out from her so she wouldn’t touch anything with the affected hand.
Finally all the tests had been run. Trina’s hand was radioactive. Trina wasn’t sure what that meant but it didn’t sound good. Evidently the rock she found was uranium and they are naturally radioactive. When Trina held it all night her thumb became radioactive. The doctors were not sure what to do about it. They had the skill to determine what it was but not how to get rid of it.

They were very concerned that it might spread before they could find a way to contain it and then Trina could get very sick. So they sent her down the road to another lab that specialized in radioactivity in humans.

There they put Trina is a cement room on a cold steel bed. The doctor would not come into the room with out a special suit that looked like a space suit to Trina. Again Trina underwent a series of test. It was miserable and Trina just wanted to go home. Finally the doctor talked with Trina’s parents just outside by the window. He left the microphone on for Trina to hear them, so she would know and understand what was happening as well.

“Trina has a very unusual situation,” the doctor said, “She has indeed been affected with radiation and it seems like a very strong dose. I am very concerned that this radioactivity may spread to other parts of her body if we don’t stop it. If this were to happen Trina would get very sick.”

“What do you suggest doctor?” her dad asked.

“The only way we know to prevent it from spreading is remove the affected area.” Said the doctor quietly.

“What do you mean remove it?” Trina asked

The doctor turned and looked at Trina through the window as he spoke. “It means that for your own good we will have to remove your thumb.”

“You mean cut off my thumb?” Trina shrieked.

“Yes,” said the doctor, “But it’s not as bad as it sounds and it could save your life.”

“No,” Trina screamed and then she began to cry. “Mom, Dad please don’t let him cut off my thumb. I need my thumb. It doesn’t hurt that bad. We studied in science that you need your thumb to catch a ball, to eat with a fork or spook, to write, I mean just everything. Please don’t let him cut off my thumb.”

Then the microphone was turned off. Trina’s mom was crying and her dad was holding his head the way he does when something is wrong. Trina tried to talk but they couldn’t hear her so she prayed and asked the Lord Jesus to intervene. “Lord I don’t care what you have to do, do anything you must, but don’t let them cut off my thumb.” She prayed. She felt better after she prayed. She knew the Lord would help her. She just knew it.

Trina’s dad talked the doctor into letting Trina go back to the hotel that night, as long as she kept that big clunky metal glove on. Trina could hardly lift her hand when it was on. He told the doctor that they would pray about it and let him know their decision in the morning. “I understand,” said the doctor, “But by morning at the latest we need to make a decision and act on it.”

Trina’s dad gave her good hand a little squeeze and held her close. It was his way of letting her know it was going to be ok. That night they prayed together and asked the Lord to do whatever it takes for Trina not to have her thumb cut off. Then they thanked the Lord for they believed He would help them and they went to bed.

Trina woke up the next morning not feeling very well. She felt tingly all over and sick to her stomach. She went to the bathroom but when she looked in the mirror she screamed. Trina was green. She had green all up her arm and green blotches on her face and neck, really everywhere.

Trina’s parent’s came running into the bathroom. They tried to stay calm and quickly called the lab. Trina was wrapped in blanket and taken there immediately; she didn’t even get a chance to change out of her pajamas. The doctor came in and examined Trina. He kept shaking his head like it was really bad. Trina was scared. If they were going to cut off her thumb to keep it from spreading before what would they do now?

Trina was sure she would not be allowed to see anyone for fear that they would be infected with radioactivity. They couldn’t cut the affected area off now, what would they do. She saw the doctor talking with her parents through the window. They all looked very sad. Trina started to cry.

“Lord,” Trina asked, “Why didn’t you heal me? We prayed. Don’t you care?” Trina said in accusing voice. “Why didn’t you just heal me?”

Soon Trina was aware that the Lord was sitting on the cold metal table beside her. He was looking at Trina with a questioning look. “What if I have another plan?” The Lord asked Trina.

Trina started to ask Him what His plan was but she knew that wasn’t right. Was she going to approve His plan or turn it down if she didn’t like it? She learned in Sunday school that when you give your heart to the Lord it is His to keep and do with as He wishes. We must be careful never to take it back by trying to keep it only for ourselves or by not trusting Him. What was Trina saying? Didn’t it boil down to the fact that she was going to judge the Lord’s decision of what to do with the life she gave Him? Or was she going to let Him keep her life and trust Him.

What if she really didn’t like what He decided to do in this situation? Well how bad could it be? She might die, but then she would just go to be with Him in heaven sooner and that is supposed to be wonderful. Maybe she would have to live the rest of her life separated from others? Why would the Lord do something like that? Maybe so she could be used to pray more she reasoned or maybe to spend more time with the Lord Himself. But if that is what the Lord needed to do with her life then perhaps she should let Him. After all she did give it to Him.

She was always told that the Lord loves her and will do what’s best for her. Maybe after all she doesn’t know what is best for herself. She just wants to be better. The Lord was still waiting for an answer as Trina thought it out. To Trina it boiled down to one thing, was she going to take her life back or was she going to trust the Lord. She knew she must answer from her heart and not her fear. He would know the truth of what she believed wouldn’t He?

“I don’t want to take my life back.” Trina said slowly really thinking about what she was saying. “It’s not mine to decide what will be done with it. I gave it to you and I’m not going to take it back. Lord I love you and I believe you love me. You do whatever you decide to do with my life. It’s yours.”

The Lord threw His head back and began to laugh, a wonderful all over laughter. He picked Trina up and began to rock her back and forth saying, “She loves me. She really, really, loves me and she trusts me.” Then He would say it again. “She loves me. She really, really loves me and she trusts me.” It was wonderful. Trina felt loved through and through.

The doctor walked in and then Jesus was gone but Trina still felt that special glow of love all over her. The doctor looked at her. Then stepped closer and looked again. He walked all around her and checked her up and down. “What happened?” He asked Trina.

Trina looked at herself. She wasn’t green anymore and she didn’t tingle or feel sick. The Lord didn’t want her to be sick, He just wanted her to trust Him and really love Him. She looked at the doctor in his special space looking suit and began to grin. “The Lord Jesus loves me.” She said, “He really, really loves me and I really, really love him.”

A strange look came over the doctor’s face and Trina could tell he believed her. He took off his helmet and stepped out of his special suit. He walked over to the table and sat on it next to Trina. “When I was just a little boy about your age,” The doctor said, “my grandmother got very sick. I was sitting by her bed praying for her to get well when I heard the Lord in my heart. He said ‘What if I have a different plan? Will you still trust Me?’ I told Him no! I wanted to Him to heal my grandmother and that was that.”

He looked at Trina sadly. “I never heard His voice again. My grandmother died and I blamed God. I was angry with Him and I never trusted Him again.” He looked at Trina as he spoke, “I really blew it didn’t I? Do you think there is a way, I mean do you think there’s a chance I could try again?”

Trina smiled at the doctor the she gently took the doctor’s arm and began to hold it like a baby rocking it back and forth as she began to pray. “Lord the doctor made a big mistake but he’s sorry, really sorry and he would like you to forgive him and help him to really, really love you like I do, so that you will be free to really, really love him. Thank you Lord. I know you will. Amen.”

When we really, really love the Lord we release His love and blessings to us. We have to be careful that when trouble comes or decisions come that we are not taking our lives back out of His loving hands. Maybe we want to trust Him but just can’t quite do it. Ask Him to help you really, really love Him and really trust Him and He will begin to build that love and trust in you. When you do really, really love Him and really trust Him then His love will be released to you. Do “you” really, really love Him?