Wednesday, June 16, 2004

Divine Interjections: 03


an artifact of a forgotten life


I always thought that Christians were not allowed to smoke. I was wrong, of course. The bible says nothing about smoking. But it does say that we should not defile our bodies. After all, our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit.

I was a chain smoker. Being in the ad industry didn't help much. At the last count, I was smoking 3 packs a day, everyday. The addiction was so bad that I couldn't function properly without a ciggy in my mouth. There were days when I'd work late in the office after everyone had left and when I ran out of cigarettes, I'd dig the ashtrays for any half-smoked butt just to get my fix. *ahem* I'm not proud but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

When I first chose to become a Christian, I decided that I would smoke anyway. After all, if my body was the temple of the Holy Spirit, surely it's okay to light up some "incense" every now and then. Hehhehh!! So there in my twisted logic, I continued puffing my life away.

But then at 3 packs a day, it does get to you. I'd cough up thick, dark phlegm every morning. I ran out of breath easily. Occasionally I'd even cough up a little blood. And yet, no force on earth could make me quit.

And then I met Mae.

After going out for awhile, she told me that my excessive smoking bothered her. "You can smoke all you want but don't make me a young widow."

Dammit she was right! I could kill myself with all that smoking but she'd be the one to suffer. I had always been pro-choice but I realise right then that the choices we make for ourselves will inadvertently affect someone else - our parents, our wives, our kids.

So just like that I quit, cold turkey. It's been four years since. Clever girl, my wife. Truly God-sent.

Like I said, no force on earth could have made me quit smoking.

21 comments:

  1. i stopped smoking since No Smoking Day a few weeks ago. i feel pretty damn good. fantastic!

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  2. very heart warming, No Wonder Pak Lah's Tak Nak Campaign is an utter failure

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  3. wow, good on you! a bit of motivation from a loved one really helps though! =)

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  4. Good on you for quitting smoking. :) (Did you remember how you started?)

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  5. Wow! You best make sure you remember to worship the ground your wife walks on, dude! She has saved your life! :)

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  6. I quit when my allergies were causing so much problems to the point I was developing bronchitis. Haven't started since.

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  7. *claps hand*,she's a gem I am sure.

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  8. good on you for quitting smoking for your wife and family's sake.
    proud of u :)

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  9. Happy for you James :) At least you did listen to ur wife and what she said really got into ur head. I know of some people who even after umpteen time of nagging by their spouses, they still can't kick the habit. You must really really love your wife so much to kick off that bad habit of urs :)

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  10. wow..admirable!
    I've reduced from a pack to three sticks but just cant go down anymore, somehow or other i'll make it three sticks a day. And my bf is no help, he lights them up for me! =)
    Nvm nvm, u can be like my new inspiration and all that now =)

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  11. bravo!~ bravo!~ :)
    very touchy..very good wife...very good husband...very good family...and soon the live happily ever after
    ahhh...so nice..:)

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  12. oh shit james, amazing post.

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  13. cool, james. give yrself a pat on the back! and mae, wat an amazing woman :) baby noodle is also happy dat daddy quit the ciggies for a healthier lifestyle. attaboy!

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  14. I echo Ryuu. Never smoked but it's always hard to kick *any* addiction. Praise God for godly spouses :)

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  15. All it takes is a righteous woman to rid a man of his vices. Good for you James.

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  16. its hard work to quite smoking but for the sake of your wife and baby you have to do it. Congratulations for quiting, some people never manage this in their life time.
    btw, im so looking forward to seeing your bb's pics when he is born!!!

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  17. Good on you, kev! Keep it up dude but remember to go easy on the food since your appetite should increase pretty drastically.
    Perhaps I ought to get Mae to talk to Pak Lah eh, KA? :)
    You betcha, Jess!
    I think it started off as some kinda rebellious statement, Strizzt. Then I got hooked. :)
    Yeah Sashi. My wife, my hero. :lol:
    Good for you Jasmine.
    She sure is, Dee.
    Thanks Adrienne! :)
    Sing with me Cherry, "love is all you need, love is all you need..." :lol:

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  18. Cold turkey is the only way, Annu! :) Good luck.
    Happily ever after is good. Thanks, glinar!
    Thanks, ryuu.
    Great suggestion olivia. Patting now. :lol:
    Yes, irene. Does God work in mysterious ways or what!? :)
    And I have plenty of those, peter. Thank God for Mae.
    I'll post, mimi! :)

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  19. The love of a good woman worketh wonders :) And of course, it's also proof of your love for her, too, James. Am truly touched...

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  20. How 'bout lending Mae to me for a day to give me a motivational speech? ;) ... I've tried to quit smoking twice now and obviously both attempts have failed because I'm still smoking! :o(
    Good on you for quitting anyway, James. Hopefully one day I can say the same thing to myself :)

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  21. Actually Ariel, her next move would have been to pummel me into submission! :lol: I'm kidding!!
    Good luck, Sara. :)

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