Smoking a Camel

I remember my attempt at smoking cigarettes took place somewhere in my grade school years. Mom and Dad both smoked at that time. I checked Mom’s pack of light filtered cigarettes but there were too many in it. She’d notice if it were gone. I checked Dad’s pack of unfiltered Camel’s. Hmmm, there were only three in it. I could sneak that out and no one would really notice. I crawled under the house (out of sight and hiding; or so I thought) to begin my smoking adventure. Well, what an adventure it was. I lit that cigarette, gently sucked in and … Oh! that! hurt!! Cough, cough, cough, spit, spit, and cough some more. OH! That really hurt!! My one and only personal adventure with a cigarette was now complete.

Don’t try to tell me God doesn’t know what He’s doing. It was not coincidence that I ended up with Dad’s nasty, nasty cigarettes. And, even if I was under the house out of everyone else’s sight, God knew where I was and what I was doing. “I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.” (Job 42:2) Thankfully, it was God’s way of keeping me from an addiction.

(Lord God, thank you for seeing the big picture. I only get to see the pieces of the puzzle that are close around me. I don't always know or understand why things happen in the way they do but You know. That's enough for me. I miss my dad. In eighteen short days it will be two years since he passed. Thank you for holding me close through these days to come. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.)