Smoker Poem by Gary James Smith

SMOKER

I use to be a smoker
Many years ago
Two and a half large packs
Sixty cigarettes or so
That my daily consumption
I was going up in smoke
An obvious result of which
Also getting broke

I tried to quit them oft times
When sick or out of money
But somehow I survived the quit
It wasn't even funny
New Year's resolutions
Another ploy I tried
This was a dismal failure too
And guess what? I survived

My quitting was appalling
A successful failure me
Time and time again I tried
Guess what? Futility
But I was not a quitter
Smoking proved it such
Even though I wanted too
I was in a clutch

Here comes the unbelievable
Story that I'll tell
How finally I quit smoking
And it served me very well
In fact I've shared with others
What I'llshare with you today
Soyou want to quit smoking do ya?
Then you'll have to learn to pray

Really! I'm not kidding and
It's a well proven fact
Just ask my wife! She'll tell ya
She knew where I was at
She often rolled them for me
Although she didn't smoke
I can feel your admonishment
Why'd you do that you bloke

She the obedient wifey
Followed my commands
And rolled them with aborment
At the request of my demands
But before you pass on judgment
And think me real mean
She wasn't rolling them by hand
But with a cigarette rolling machine

Getting back to my story
And the sharing of it
I didn't tell my wife this time
That I was trying to quit
For I had told her often before
That I was quitting smoking
She watched my successful failing score
And assumed that I was joking

This time I truly meant it
And wouldn't give her the satisfaction
Of saying "see I told you so"
No! That would never happen!
How many times I'd starred at them
The cigarettes in my hands
And while I puffed saying "no" inside
I gave in to its demands

Here is where that part comes in
The part to do with prayer
Stay with me now! Don't leave off
It could help you here
We were attending a local church
On a fine Sunday
They never talked about smoking
They never told me to pray

They didn't know my addiction
To the cigarettes
They didn'tknow my mindset
Just where I was at
But God knew what I needed
Just to hear that day
He used it as a catapult
To make me seek to pray

The pastor talked on Creation
And the awe of it
How God not only created
But sustained it....every bit!
The sun, the moon, the stars
Each one in their place
I became awestruck as well
Of God's amazing grace

When we left that church
My mind was still areeling
I never thought about God that way
It was an awesome feeling
If He could do all that!
And the pastor wasn't joking
How could He not deliver me from
My ordeal with cigarette smoking

So I prayed " dear God
If You can do all that
Then surely You can deliver me
From every cigarette pack
I pray to You dear God
Upon Your reputation
, Help me have the victory
And not give in to temptation

I'll begin this very moment
To impliment that prayer
When the temptation comes to smoke
God you'll meet me there
So with a dollar in my pocket
A store a mile away
The temptation came"go buy a pack! "
But no! I began to pray

Lord help me not give in
To this temptation today
And I'll thank You in advance
For the "victory"
I kept faithfully at it
Sixty some times each day
When smoking "temptations" came along
I always began to pray

Day number two was happening
Usually first thing was a smoke
But I was faithful in praying
To me it wasn't a joke
Didn't breathe a word to wifey
This was between God and I
Still with that dollar in pocket
Temptation? Sixty some times it tried

I noticed I was changing
In my attitude
Not grumpy or complaining
As a smoker would
I was feeling better
Praying was really working
In my duty to this task
I was not a shirking

Then day three came along
I awoke with no desire
To have any cigarettes
The temptations had expired
Thank you Lord for giving me
Victory over this
I was really overjoyed
And filled with genuine bliss

I then shared with my wife
Have you noticed any difference?
My changed attitude being the referral
To which I was making inference
"No not really" she replied
I was a tad disappointed
But then I told her that I quit
But it was God anointed!

It's been forty three years smoke free
And no I'm not a gloating
Just so thankful to my God
For delivering me from smoking
As I've shared with you
My prayerful implementation
If you too would wish to quit
He'll give "victory" over temptation!

Copyright January 220159: 30

Gary James Smith