EDITOR'S NOTE: The Times Free Press is continuing a series of stories from readers about life experiences they attribute to divine intervention. We'll publish another each week as your stories continue to arrive. If you have a God Thing to share, email Life@timesfreepress.com, or mail to Life Department, Chattanooga Times Free Press, 400 E. 11th St., Chattanooga, TN 37403.
This week, Lynn Mitchell tells how she conquered smoking.
A little over 10 years ago I was a chain smoker. I was up to three packs of cigarettes a day. I smoked one cigarette right after another.
One day my husband and I drove up to Missionary Ridge to watch the fireworks one Fourth of July. I could barely walk up the hill, much less catch my breath. I never said a word to my husband that I was experiencing this. I knew in my heart without an ounce of doubt that if I did not stop smoking I was going to die.
I started praying and asking God that if he would just take that desire to smoke away from me, I would never pick up another cigarette because I knew I was going to die. I made that promise to him. I prayed for three solid months every day. Every Wednesday when I got paid I would buy a carton and a half of cigarettes.
On this particular Wednesday, I did not go to buy more cigarettes. I never gave it a thought, nor did I realize at that moment God had answered my prayers. It wasn't until I smoked my last cigarette at 5 o'clock that following Friday afternoon and never picked up another cigarette to this day that I knew God saved my life.
To this day, all glory goes to God for that because there was no way I could have ever done that on my own.
- Lynn Mitchell