Focus, PLEASE!

My oldest son has very severe ADHD - inattentive type.  Without medicine, his concentration is so poor that it takes him 45 minutes to put his shoes and socks on - if we stand over him we can reduce it to 25 minutes.  Statistically the divorce rate for parents of unmedicated kids diagnosed with ADHD is 80% and only 20% for those who medicate their children.  This is obviously a stressful disorder to deal with as a parent.  You have to follow the child around constantly and remind them eleven times as they walk from their bedroom to the bathroom to brush their teeth, otherwise they wander around until a distraction catches their eye.  Once they arrive you have to tell them six times to put toothpaste on their toothbrush or they'll dry-brush their teeth.   You have to tell them three times to wipe their mouth or they'll go to bed with dried toothpaste around their mouth.  


I'm sure there are many times God sees us as ADHD Christians.  We have a difficult time focusing on doing His will.  He sends us sign after sign to remind us where he wants us to go and how he wants us to serve.  We start off intending to follow His word and we get sidetracked or distracted by unimportant things.  We go to church on Sunday and get redirected onto His path and Monday we begin our daily grind and the world descends upon us and pulls us back off track.  


Luke 21:36 (NIV 1981)
Watch you therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.  
Luke 21:36 (ISV 2008)
So be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to take your stand in the presence of the Son of Man."  

Praying brings us closer to God.  You may have learned to kneel beside your bed as a child and say your bedtime prayers.  In my early twenties, I stopped praying at night.  I had a stressful job and my prayers always turned into venting my frustration.  When I prayed at night, I was less likely to seek guidance and more likely to seek vengeance.  I began to pray in the mornings, asking God to help my day go well, to keep my tongue and anger in check.  I continued my prayers on my commute to work and throughout the day and brought Him into my life.  I found that by praying even for 30 seconds several times throughout the day, I was able to stay  more focused on Him.  Prayer is the Ritalin for Christians, helping us stay focused and on track.  We need prayer to keep in communication with God so we can hear his voice directing us where to go.  When you pray, ask God for guidance, if you aren't ready to trust that you're hearing his voice ask him for signs.  Ask for the things you need, pray for others, pray for your enemies and friends alike.  When you pray, do so unselfishly and your prayers will be answered.  That's not to say you shouldn't ask for things you want, but ask him to provide them if there is a need.  I wanted a baby seat for the back of my bicycle and we didn't have the money for one, I prayed that I would find one I could afford.  Later that day I was speaking to my mother-in-law and she mentioned that she had to help set up the church rummage.  I told her to see if they had a baby seat for a bike and the next day she called saying someone had donated one and it was marked fifty cents.  I wanted the seat so I could bike with my child and get some exercise for health reasons.  God saw that there were good intentions in this and he provided.  Other times the answers take much longer.  One prayer took eighteen months to be answered.  When it finally was answered, it wasn't in the way I was hoping and two months later, I realized why.  I still got what I asked for and if it had happened the way I hoped, it would have continued to add financial stress to us.  The way God provided it, our burden was lifted.  I feel so blessed to be the child of a loving God.