Most of the people I have met in my farming community dip snuff. It is a filthy-looking spectacle to see them spitting brown juice in a bottle or on the ground. Their bottom lip looks like it is swollen from a bee sting due to the snuff stored there and their teeth are stained from it.
One time I met one of the greatest professional baseball players that ever walked on the field, his name is Brett Butler. He has a fascinating story of triumph over many obstacles including even making it to the major leagues in the first place due to his small stature. He played for the Dodgers and later the Atlanta Braves and was an all-star player and will undoubtedly make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
He developed cancer in his throat and not only survived but thrived. He is a tremendous witness for Christ and he and his wife exemplify in my mind how Christians should act. They stand up and tell anyone who cares to listen (unashamedly) that they belong to Christ and give Him all the glory for their accomplishments. They accept the good with the bad and know beyond a shadow of a doubt there is a good purpose for everything that occurs, even events like Brett’s battle with cancer.
He gave me an autographed copy of his book which I promptly read. It is inspirational. I believe the name of it is “Field of Hope”; unfortunately, I loaned it to a friend who did not return it as promised and I cannot verify that for you. If you are looking for a good read, I suggest that you buy this book.
One story he related in the book was that a little kid was at the ballpark one day and Brett observed him putting smokeless tobacco in his mouth. Brett asked him why, and he indicated that he did it because Brett did it and he wanted to be just like Brett Butler. Brett stopped using smokeless tobacco right then and there. He really felt bad about this, not wanting to be a bad influence on any of the little kids who were his fans.
With certainty, numerous professional baseball players have influenced many little kids to get started on it by watching their heroes use it on televised games and the Lord only knows how many have gone on to develop cancer from it.
In fact, I got started chewing tobacco when I played high school baseball in similar fashion. All baseball players just naturally chewed tobacco including me. I was chewing a big plug of Red-Man chewing tobacco one day and was out in the woods squirrel hunting. My trusty dog Poochie treed a squirrel in a high tree. I circled the tree about ten times looking for the squirrel with my head cocked back. Some of the tobacco juice trickled down my throat and I got a scratchy feeling and suddenly I inadvertently coughed and swallowed a huge plug of tobacco the size of a plum.
I don’t recall ever being that sick. My gastrointestinal system was put to the test almost immediately. I headed home stopping every fifty feet repeatedly to…well, you get the picture. When I got home and looked in the mirror, I was green. I was not the same for a week, and smokeless tobacco was not a problem from that point on. I would have much preferred to have Brett Butler counsel me as he did the little kid rather than experience that trauma.
The grown men that I know that still use it and face serious health consequences and without exception, all say they know they need to quit, but that day seems to never come. They need to read Brett’s book or research throat and facial cancer to understand what cancer in that area of your body is like and what surgery, intensive chemotherapy, and radiation does to disfigure one’s face. It is devastating.
I think we should all take a lesson out of Brett’s book. Our children are impressionable and absorb what they see like a big sponge. How do you act around them? Do you tell them not to drink alcohol as you refill your wine glass? Do you send them to Sunday school with a friend while you sleep in? Do you give them a timeout for saying a bad word when you curse like a sailor? “Little pictures have big eyes” is an apt description of little impressionable kids; they are always watching, and we influence them more than we know.
Be a good influence not only to kids but to others, especially non-believers. An observer should be able to tell the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian and if they cannot, something is wrong with the Christian’s behavior. The Bible tells us to let our light shine. Keep it shining and we should make a concentrated effort to prevent our dark side from blocking its illumination.
Matt. 5:16
Let your light so shine before
men that they may see your good
works and glorify your Father in heaven.