Greetings!: Up In Smoke

Saturday, July 6, 2019

Up In Smoke

Many things have changed over my lifetime and some of the changes have even been for the good. One of the major changes has been with cigarette smoking.
When I was a teen, smoking was widely accepted. Ads for cigarettes were common. Smoking in restaurants and in public transportation was tolerated and not even questioned.
Because being exposed to smoke often made my wife sick, I was often blunt with smokers, especially on busses and at athletic competitions. Often I would warn smokers sitting near us that my wife might throw up on them from the smoke. Usually that was enough to make them stop or move.
Thankfully, I never smoked, even though many of my friends did. I didn't smoke because my parents didn't and because I was taught that my body was the temple of God. However, I came close one time. I was on a bus trip to a Phillies game with the Lititz Hot Stove League. Most of the folks on the trip were smoking. On the way home we stopped at a restaurant on the turnpike and my friends bought cigarettes from a vending machine. I was tempted to do the same and was looking at the machine when somebody said "Hi Barry" I turned to find that it was our assistant Sunday School superintendent. That scare was enough to stop me.
But since those days medical science has shown the evils of smoking and fortunately many have stopped. Cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States. This is nearly one in five deaths. More than 10 times as many U.S. citizens have died prematurely from cigarette smoking than have died in all the wars fought by the United States. Smoking causes about 90% (or 9 out of 10) of all lung cancer deaths. More women die from lung cancer each year than from breast cancer. Smoking causes about 80% (or 8 out of 10) of all deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). If nobody smoked, one of every three cancer deaths in the United States would not happen
And those facts should be enough to scare you. But even though I never smoked, for some reason I have COPD. As a result I have been going to pulmonary rehab two times a week for about a year. I also use two inhalers and take a med for my breathing.
One of the interesting things about rehab are the interesting people we get to know. There have been three in particular who have been part of my group. All are older than I am and all three must use oxygen. Recently all three admitted to being smokers most of their lives until they recently quit.
However, C. recently quit rehab because she could no longer afford it. I wonder how much she spent over the years on her habit and that may have helped drain her financially as well as physically. Another, A., quit smoking just recently and is upset because she can no longer travel to Colorado to see her daughter because of her need for oxygen. The third, J., had gone to John Hopkins because of his breathing difficulty. They told him that if he didn't stop smoking he would soon die. And five years ago, with the help of doctors, he was able to quit. But today he needs a scooter and oxygen to get around. These are all nice intelligent folks who made bad decisions and are now paying for it.

Working with these folks has made me more aware of the dangers of smoking and thankful that I never started. PTL for the intervention the Lord provided that kept me from starting.

But it does make me very sad to see young folks smoking, especially young girls. Maybe all teens should be forced to visit rehab and talk to folks who are now on oxygen because they were smokers. But would that make a difference? Unfortunately, probably not.

1) Living for Jesus, a life that is true,

Striving to please Him in all that I do;

Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free,

This is the pathway of blessing for me.

O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,

For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me.

I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne.

My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.

(2) Living for Jesus Who died in my place,

Bearing on Calvary my sin and disgrace;

Such love constrains me to answer His call,

Follow His leading and give Him my all.