Prayers for an 11 year old

[Colleen]

My cousin is 11 and is now on the waiting list for a new lung. She's had heart problems since she was born and her father isn't helping by smoking like a chimney.

Please, pray for her.

[Maggie]

I will certainly pray for her.

I will pray for her father too, he needs help.

If he can't see what his smoking is doing to his precious child's lungs, or even worse if he is too selfish to care, he is as much in need of prayer as his daughter is.

[Kimberly AJ]

Ughhh!!!!!!! That's disgusting! We need to keep him away from that.

[poohbear]

Smokers are drug addicts in denial.  I believe they psychologically cannot accept the evidence that smoking and second hand smoke are devastating to people's health over time.  No parent would smoke around their child if they could understand and accept the dangers.  Smokers cannot accept them because of the psychological effects of the physiological addiction.

Off soapbox. back to the topic. I agree with Maggie that we need to pray for your cousin and her father.  My wife and I will say a prayer and add you to our list.

[Où est le lait de soja?]

Your cousin and her father are in my prayers...

~Mel...

[rosie l]

I will pray for your cousins health. I've learned that unfortunately smokers have been led to believe that since "Smoking is more addictive than heroin" they are helpless  and really can't quit.  This is not true,once the person believes they can quit they often do. I've counseled people about this ,and other addictions, and the first step is believing that you are not helpless . SO I will pray that her Dad comes to realize that he can, i n fact quit.

[Maggie]

This is not true,once the person believes they can quit they often do. I've counseled people about this ,and other addictions, and the first step is believing that you are not helpless .

I have seen two members of my family die due to smoking-related causes.
The death of one was accelerated by smoking, the other was a direct result, and "nicotine abuse" was on the death certificate.
Oh I almost forgot the third one.....a little girl six months old, related to me by marriage, who died of SIDS in a home where both parents smoked all the time and the house was like a stinking opium den.

I have seen friends and others whose lungs were ruined, suffering from COPD.

In all cases, these people knew perfectly well it was possible to quit. They were not helpless. They were in denial.
To hear all the usual excuses really is pathetic......"It's my only vice, I'm not hurting anyone, I could quit if I wanted to, at my age there's no point"......on and on ad nauseam.

The only step that matters is wanting to quit.

That's why I will pray for that little girl's father.....that he sees the light....that he can and MUST quit for the sake of his child.
Lord please give him the insight to see what he is doing, and the will to quit.
Please send his daughter a new lung and make her whole again.
Thank you ahead of time for granting these favours. 

[Kimberly AJ]

Does this mean they did not care?

[poohbear]

Kim, I did not know these people but I am sure they cared.  The point of my previous post was that people who smoke cannot think clearly because of the chemicals in cigarette smoke. Their need for these chemicals cause them to hurt others and they cannot see it.

Maggie is right.  They need to reach a point in their life where they see the harm and decide they can and will quit.  This often requires a bad thing to happen to shock them. Until then talking to them does very little to change them.  I believe soft talk and prayer is the best method to smokers and alcoholics to change.

[Kimberly AJ]

This will keep him in the law:

[Colleen]

Thank you for the prayers.

As for the father, I'm not sure if he doesn't know of just doesn't care. All I really know is that her sisters who are both in collage are trying to get her out of there. The mother is also trying to get her out. He's tried to keep her away from family. At my grandmother's funeral he said that it would be the last time that we would see them to my mom. We didn't even know that she was on the waiting list until it was slipped to her sister.

[chickie.monkey]

This post has gotten to me as I have recently quit smoking.  I have been having a hard time the last few weeks, but I'm printing Kim's post out and carying it with me to remind me that smoking is gross. Thanks Kim

This will keep him in the law:

I will pray for the family, I hope dad comes around

[zankoku]

Please.

Do not chastise the father for smoking if you have never been hooked. I smoked for teh better part of 40 years and quite almost 2 years ago. And I would kill for one on occasion.

Twice before I quite for 4 years at a time and it is a hard time, especially if your spouse and kids smoke.

What I will tell a smoker, especially if they have anyone else in teh house. Do what we did back in 1984. We have never smoked in this house and we have been in it 23 years. Even my sons ( 1 has quit, the other hasn't) have never smoked in the house or their own houses.

Pray that he has the strength to quit or cut back, but don't condemn him.

Former smokers are the worst people in teh world for a smoker to be around as many times the smoker is made to feel like a piece of S. and that is wrong.

Now I am off the soapbox.

I too will praye for the little girl.

Jim