One afternoon when I was a student at the university in my city, there was a fire in the downtown. A new hotel was being built. The tar that was being used for the roof top caught on fire. It was quite the spectacle as smoke billowed out from the fire spreading over the downtown area.
I stood outside the place where I worked part-time watching the fire. A woman was standing near me. She was smoking a cigarette. As the smoke from the fire overtook the downtown sky, she got concerned. She said, “I am going back inside. I don’t want to breathe in that toxic smoke.” She threw her cigarette on the sidewalk and went back into her building.
The other people near us and I looked at each other. We started to laugh a little. It was funny to us that she was more concerned about the toxic smoke from the fire than she was from the toxic smoke she inhaled from the cigarette.
In a way, we can tend to be like her when we are more concerned about what is happening around us affecting us than what we do to ourselves. How others live their lives does not affect me nearly as much as the things I do in my own life.
I need to look at what I do in my own life such as what I take into my spirit and soul. Do I renew my mind with the things of Jesus such as reading the bible, reading good books about my faith, and listening to worship music?
By the way, I also went back into the building where I worked that day. I didn’t want to breathe in the smoke either. But I am grateful for the object lesson that woman gave me. It has stuck with me over the years.
Thank you for reading. God Bless.
Jesusluvsall's Blog 
That’s powerful
Thank you
I really like the lesson you mentioned here. We can be so blind to those little toxic things we allow in our lives either because it is in small doses and the development of the effect is gradual and not in the immediate future. Or the momentary enjoyment is too much to want to give up. Really makes me think. Thanks for sharing this Matt.
Glad to share š¤šš¤
That was a really good lesson. It makes me realize I must examine myself closely and also ask God regularly to reveal things Iām doing wrong.
It is one that has stayed with me
Matt, thanks for sharing. God provides us capsules of life. He finds unique ways to teach.
He does indeed
Wow the irony… You are so right though a lot of times we are only concerned about things that we see around us and we forget to look at ourselves and what we are doing. Thanks for the reminder that we need to assess our lives too and be the best version of ourselves that we can be!
It was ironic. Thank you for reading š
My pleasure!
Wow. Interesting and quite ironic. So much to learn from. Not being caught in the “actions and inactions of others”, and leaving ours unattended to. Kind of reminds me of the man with the “log of wood” in his eyes as the Bible states.
Thanks for sharing this big bro. š
Great story and great lesson. Thanks
So very true! We are so quite to be critical or judgmental towards others but forget about the damage we do to self. Well said, thanks for sharing.
Thank you š How are you?
I am doing great! Like you I have periodic episodes of chronic pain. This season has been a monster on my body, but God is good, He is keeping me, can’t imagine going through this without Him.
I can’t imagine trying to live with chronic illness without Jesus too
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I am going good! Like you, I have periodic episodes of chronic pain. This season has been a monster on my body, but God is good, He is keeping me. I can’t imagine going through this without Him.
I had to chuckle at her remark but then realized we all have moments like that when our words & actions don’t match. May God have mercy on us all.
We all need his mercy
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