Is it Alright for Me to Smoke and My Son to Drink Alcohol?

Q: My son and I are in a debate on whether what we choose to do with our bodies is a personal choice. I am trying to talk my son out of drinking alcohol, but he is trying to talk me out of smoking cigarettes. He challenged me that if I would stop smoking, he would stop drinking, but I am older than him and my addiction does not affect him because I don’t smoke around him. But when he drinks and becomes out of control, it has the potential of hurting others. Who is right? – F.S.

A: A woman once told of her uncle who had some very bad health habits that they would kill him if he didn’t stop them. When she shared her concern with him, he laughed and said he’d rather enjoy his life, even if it shortened his days. “Why would anyone act like this?” she wondered.

Self-centeredness is one very probable answer. Deliberately doing something that will cut short a person’s life reveals that they are thinking only about themselves and ignoring all the hurt and sorrow a premature death brings to loved ones.

In what ways might we be like him? What health rules are we violating? In what ways are we not taking care of the body God has given us? Someday each one of us will leave behind our earthly tent (our fleshly bodies), and be bound for eternity in Heaven or Hell. But the Bible clearly declares that we are to honor God with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20).

God created us free to choose how we would live, but leaves us free to pursue our own ends with tragic, natural consequences. The destiny of the soul is a personal choice. No one ever goes wrong when they choose to follow Jesus Christ.

========

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

(c)2020 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.