As a man thinketh in his heart.
Humanity likes to be complicated. We also were made with an auto-defense system. In the garden of Eden Satan asked Eve, “Hath God said?” Before this scripture we read. “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1
Already in the third chapter in the early history of mankind we have an example of adjusting words to suit the listener, using technicalities of speech with the intention of manipulating an outcome. If our world News reporters were no longer required to contort and manipulate words, the News as we know it would be fractional in volume. Humanity…even wise people, spend hours reading the News, and watching as News reporters say little or nothing at all.
This obsession moves right into our personal world. Health needs a balanced diet to thrive. Emotional and mental health needs a balanced diet. This is quite possibly one of the reasons childhood traumas contribute to addictive tendencies. Deep scars that are inflicted in people will no doubt play havoc with such a person for long periods of time, and often for a lifetime.
When a person is involved in an accident that leaves them a paraplegic, the task of lessening the effect of the misfortune begins almost immediately. Amazing things have been done and successfully accomplished to improve such a one’s quality of life. This involves emotional aspects, mechanics of the body, an environment such a one can thrive in, physiotherapy and more. Even if the accident that caused this circumstance was a result of carelessness or stupidity, society is not hindered from digging deep into their resources of help.
We have individuals in our midst who have disobeyed not only the will of parents, but society’s expectations, and ultimately God himself. When these individuals are then thrown into the claws of illicit substance dependence, we sometimes wish to have them “snap” out of it.
In my journey I had a series of events that took place in my childhood and during my early Christian life. I did not cope well with these situations. Satan and society drove these happenings into the core of my being to a point where I was overwhelmed. I am not saying justified. I am saying overwhelmed. The tree was placed in the garden. Adam and Eve were instructed to leave that tree alone. Their disobedience to these instructions resulted in a need for an alternative.
I too knew some of my emotions and feelings were better left alone. I was told I was offended. I was disciplined by a Church that had my wellbeing in mind. I knew that as I made wrong decisions, I was going against what I knew. The reason behind beginning my cigarette-smoking habits was wanting to establish a new identity. I had left the way of my childhood. I craved acceptance into my “new world”. I wanted my friends and those around me to notice that I was no longer affiliated with the conservative way.
I had smoked casually. I didn’t care for cigarettes really. Sometimes I got busy and actually forgot to smoke. A friend asked me why I even bothered. This went on for several years. Then came a day that I was hooked. My body craved exactly 1 pack of cigarettes a day. They sold small packs and large packs. If I bought a small pack, I had to buy a second pack to see me through the day. Dear reader, I was experiencing addiction. With it came a compulsive mindset. Somewhere in my brain I had triggered something…
Thirty-five odd years later I had a heart attack. I had been smoking on and off, with long intermissions. I no longer thought of myself as a smoker. The verdict from the cardiologist regarding my closed arteries told the story. Tar from my cigarettes was the cause, and not cholesterol. Addiction.
The old adage. If you play with fire you will likely get burned.
