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by Eric Hansen

In my last article, I mentioned some (mostly hidden) struggles that a Christian who has ADHD may run into. Like my theology, I respect the issues but would much rather look to the solution. As a Christian, our solution to all of our problems is Christ, but ADHD can put a damper on believing that. So what about ADHD can be considered a blessing?

Hyperfocus

While it is true that hyperfocusing can be an issue, it can also be a blessing. There have been days I sit and read the Bible, study it, and meditate (read: think) on it. I first realized I could do this back in high school, and thought it was a superpower more than anything.

When we hyperfocus, we can get to a point where everything around us is silenced. We drill into what it is we are doing. I imagine it is close to the times Jesus went alone to pray. He didn’t want any distractions when talking to the Father, and He knew what to do.

Granted, it can be difficult to turn it on or off, but when used with aides to keep aware of what time it is (i.e., so we remember to eat), we can truly give God all of our attention and be attentive to Him.

Emotional Dysregulation (Mood Swings)

How can emotional dysregulation (lets call it EmD for short) be positive? I feel this is definitely one of those elephant-in-the-room elements.

The linked article makes it sound like it’s a horrible thing, and it can be (as with most worldly things). But, once we start putting it into the frame of “God blessed me with this because through Him, He knew great things can happen,” then the world becomes a bit less dark.

One thing that people can often forget is that a Christian is still human. Having EmD exposes us to extreme emotions, but that allows us to experience humanity that much more. If you join a Christ-centered group like Celebrate Recovery, for example, you’ll be exposed to people going through a lot of emotions, too.

Having been through Celebrate Recovery myself for food addiction, I saw people come through with addictions mostly to drugs and alcohol. These emotions would often make them feel alone or in a dark pit. One of the best gifts God can ever bless us with while on Earth is the ability to use ourselves as a vessel to spread His love. By this I mean that a connection can be made based on such raw, vulnerable emotions, which can then let you express how Jesus’s blood brings you rest.

Procrastination

This is definitely one that can be annoying. I can give you a list longer than time it feels like where I’ve procrastinated. But this can be a positive in the Christian world as well. But let's also group running late into this as well, as it’s usually a byproduct.

The end result when I procrastinate is “I wish I didn’t waste my time!” The more I realized just what I was (not) doing, the more I asked myself why:

• Why don’t I just do it?
• Why do I wait so long?
• Why can’t I get that time back?
• Why don’t I make better use of my time?

This brought me to realize that the same applies to my faith. I can’t sit around and wait for the “perfect opportunity” to come along to serve God. I need to be doing what I can now to prepare for what He’s laid on my heart, even if I have to pivot halfway through. It’s helped me realize the value of my time where I spend it.

Imposter Syndrome

It’s common to feel like you don’t deserve something or that you could work harder. This is basically what imposter syndrome is, where you reject praise and accomplishments because you feel undeserving of them.

The greatest part about this feeling is that it’s exactly the story of the Bible. The Old Testament is full of the moral law (working harder for grace) and showing that it’s not work that gets you that grace. We then get to the New Testament, where God’s redemption of His people comes about, and we realize that we don’t deserve that grace to begin with. Yet, even through our faults, He gives it to us anyway.

This not only allows us to express the gospel in a relatable way, but we also gain a much deeper, relational, and personal understanding of God’s love. I feel that those without imposter syndrome can spend years achieving what those with it can discover in a fraction of that time. It’s not a race by any means, but it helps us connect the dots faster, quicker, and easier.

Comparing Yourself

I ended the struggles article with this, and I feel it’s fitting to end the blessings with it as well. At its core, I feel that this is the epitome of an ADHD’s internal struggle and encompasses everything above and more.

On an almost daily basis, it feels like I recall commenting on a post on a Reddit forum on Christianity saying that we should always try to be Christ even though we’ll never achieve it. The person I was responding to gave me a paraphrased response of, “Haha! That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!”

Given our EmD, perfectionism, procrastination, hyperfocus, and a myriad of other adjectives, we can greatly model Christ’s humanity. We’ll never achieve it fully, but already outlined here are models of who and how Christ is. While He never compared himself to anyone, He did have great empathy, focused solely on God, had bouts of frustration, and felt not just pain but glory.

I’m a fan of Tony Evans. In his book Kingdom Man, he talks about how Christ entered his family. The long story short is that Tony’s dad came to Christ first, and that drove a deep wedge between father and mother. His mother would constantly try to push his dad away, and his dad would not fight but love. One night, his mom came to his dad, crying and asking why he’s not rejecting her while she is him and she wants what he has. At that point, a family came together in Christ out of love and modeling Christ.

I wouldn’t suggest trying to cast out demons, but I would definitely suggest grabbing a friend if you can and go tell someone about Christ. Look at how Christ talked to certain people, and try to model that. He didn’t go to the well and immediately tell the woman she was a sinner; first, He asked her for some water (John 4). He also didn’t go to the Pharisees and immediately tell them they were sinners, but when they spoke, He spoke the truth.

Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity to glorify God. Read the room, but also make the opportunity. If you see someone looking distraught, don’t be afraid to speak with them. If you see someone happy, don’t be afraid to ask them what brings them so much joy.

ADHD is often categorized as a disability, placed under the same umbrella term with things like amputation, bipolar disorder, etc. Realistically, though, something is only a disability if we can’t see the blessings it gives us when it comes to helping our Father. As of this writing, I’m 34 years old, and for 20+ of those years I felt like I was un-human since I struggle to do some things I see others do without thought. That was before I accepted the way I’m designed and truly appreciated that God made me in such a way that He knew that through Him, I can serve Him fully. I hope to continue sharing my experiences of this walk through life with everyone, and so I’m also treating this as a running series where I can share such matters with you.

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