Kicking The Habit

Kicking The Habit

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. Hebrews 12:11

As the medical director at our critical access hospital, my job is to oversee patient rehabilitation. Most are there to get physical therapy for something they’ve broken—and for the geriatric set, that’s usually a fracture in the hip joint.

Judy was no stranger to the hospital, but this was the first time she’d been admitted into the rehab unit after breaking her hip. Usually she came in for exacerbation of her chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She would stay a day or two until she could breathe better, and then she’d go back home and resume her smoking habit.

Her stay in the rehab unit would be much longer and much harder than she was used to. It was also a nonsmoking facility with strict rules. All of this seemed to catch Judy by surprise. She wasn’t ready for the pain of rehab, much less ready to give up her cigarettes.

I was paged to her room one morning when she tried to light a cigarette.

“I’m going crazy not being able to smoke,” she said when I reminded her of the rules, “and the pain of rehab is also getting to me. I’m not sure I want to do this.”

I decided to take a different tack. “Did you know that the phrase ‘no pain, no gain’ has biblical roots?”

She looked at me like I was crazy.

I told her about today’s verse from Hebrews. “God knows that sometimes we must struggle to reach our goals. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it. While you’re here to rehab your hip, it’s a great time to kick your cigarette habit. Why don’t you think about it?”

When I left her room, she was as stubborn as ever, but at least she had handed me her remaining cigarettes.

Nine months later when I saw that Judy was my next appointment, I walked down the hall to escort her to my office. But before I could get to her, she jumped up from her chair and held out her hand to shake mine. “Dr. Anderson, I kicked it to the curb!” she said, showing off her functioning hip with a low kick. “I’m no longer a smoker!”

TODAY’S RX

What you’re going through may be difficult, but the reward at the end is worth it.

God, thank you for providing road blocks to divert me from harmful behavior. You created me for more than what I’ve limited myself to, and I pray that with your help I can begin making great strides toward an abundant life of faith.