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Hi, Hannah —
The short answer: No!
There are a few things the Christian should always
bear in mind:
- That God loves us. He is madly in love with
us. Even when we are sinning He loves us.
This doesn't mean he is condoning our sins, but
that He understands our habits and
struggles, given our unique individual [and/or] family
situation.
- That Our Lord Himself, was a Man, like us in
all things, but sin. He, along with the saints,
understand the human struggles we go through yet
are always there perpetually praying for us.
That said: It's Good, Very Good, that you
have a desire to quit smoking. Cancer sticks will
only give you one thing: Cancer, yet because of the
addictive nature of the chemicals in cigarettes,
it can be very hard to stop. The same is true for
related drug habits like cigars, pipe smoking, or
more deadly drugs. If you are really struggling,
talk to your doctor about a Stop Smoking Patch.
I would encourage you to keep striving to break this
deadly habit. The Lord has a special plan and purpose in your life,
both now and in the future.
Don't cut it short. He has so much more work for
you to do.
As you get older, it gets much more difficult to
maintain a healthy lifestyle, partially because our
metabolism slows down.
Whether you are able to stop smoking, or not, I want
you to rest assured that:
- God always loves you
- He is always listening and answering those prayers
that are best for our soul and salvation, and
- Our God is a God of love, not of punishment.
If the Lord sends us punishment or suffering, it's
only to make us a better person in the long run.
We call this, within the Catholic Church, redemptive
suffering.
During these periods, a perseverance in prayer
is extremely helpful.
It reminds me of something Mother Teresa once said:
When we are suffering, Our Lord is just hugging
us from His Cross.
Hope this helps,
Mike
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