Living WWJD In an ADHD World

OK, I confess.  While I have never been officially tested, my friends would concur, I am prone to Attention Deficit Disorder.  There.  I said it.  Surprise!  But really, honestly, hasn't that prognosis become about as normal as a setting on our dishwasher?  "Normal", "quick", "delicate", "extra dry", "slightly distracted", "somewhat unpredictable"...."Squirrel!" (to steal a quote from the movie Up) Maybe the diagnosis is true.  Maybe it's not.  The real question I am asking is this:  How can I live more intentional in an increasingly distracted world?  And I don't think one needs to be A.D.D. or A.D.H.D. to wonder the same thing.  I think somewhere deep down we are all asking something like that.  How do we live...better?


It’s weird really, A.D.H.D has become quite a phenomenon - The inability to hold focus, constant activity, moving from one thing to the next, lack of impulse control, anger management issues - It sounds like A.D.H.D. has made its way into our world more than we realize.  Is this life - laden with distractions, 'pleasure' seeking, and busyness - really working?

One look at the world around us - including the world within the walls of the church - and it's clear our A.D.H.D. approach is not working.  If it was, the use of anti-depressants would not be on the rise as it is.  Crime would not be the back-drop of most evening news reports, and divorce would be less not more frequent.  Lawsuits would be the exception not the norm.  Obesity would not be an epidemic.  Credit cards would not be maxed out from trips to the mall, Disneyland, or weekly "pedis". Parents wouldn't be lost in a sea of sporting events that consume their every waking hour.   Our 4 year olds Birthday party would not have to be "pintrest"...then Facebooked...then instagramed. (I'm going to share a secret with you...4 year olds don't care if their favors were made from recycled jars decoupaged in vintage fabric and filled with homemade organic treats....they just don't.) Nope our A.D.H.D. approach has not served us well.  Distractions are rarely the answer...they only pretend to soothe a bleeding (or bored)soul...a soul that's screaming for something more...for something better.


So...WWJD (what would Jesus do)? Because I really do want to DWJWD (Do what Jesus would do)... Of all people, HE seemed to focused on the things that matter.  He was busy but not distracted.  I don't think He was very bored either because He was going about His Father's work.  Yet, when life came at Him at break-neck speed He was at the ready... present and conversational.  For instance, when the bleeding woman caught the edge of His garment He paused.  If ever there was a moment for a man to "vacate the premises" and find something else to do, that was it!  But Jesus stayed.  He talked with the woman (shameful as it was at the time) and received her story. He didn't have to, according to scripture she was healed the moment she touched His robe.  By most "A.D.H.D-world" standards, His job was done and the next "thing" was waiting...Snap to it! But by WWJD standards, maybe the job wasn't finished.  Maybe the biggest miracle was the conversation between the Divine King of kings and a forgotten woman who longed for healing ...for dignity ...for friendship.  So much would have missed had Jesus "squirreled" off to the next thing instead of pausing his steps for a moment to take a closer look.

 Maybe life is found in the pause ...instead of the sprint

When I am distracted I tend to neglect relationships and sadly that means people too.  I move from one bright shiny object to the next. I see it glisten in the distance and something in me is driven to find its pleasure; pleasure that wears off soon after, so I move on to the next distraction. On and on it goes, satisfying for a moment, maybe even a season, but in the end leaving me more empty than when I started. That's what distractions do.  They give the illusion of satisfaction while secretly denying the soul.  
What would happen if we stopped our sprint to the next "drug of choice" and paused to touch the hem of His garment - if even only for a moment?  Would we be changed? Would our soul stop its bleeding? Would we be surprised by the conversation we encounter with Christ?  Would a piece of regenerated life awaken within us?...maybe life is found in the pause instead of the sprint.


WWJD?....He would pause.  He would be indifferent to the things that seduce a glance to steal our gaze.  He, instead, would gaze deeply into the heart of God through the waking of a sunrise, or the stillness of a prayer, He would delight in the joy of a child or the playfulness of a puppy. He would  notice the tug on His robe and, like He did with that woman, be at the ready...present and conversational; capturing the divine eternal moments that simply show up without trend or demand. He would welcome them with glad submission and... join in.

I want to do the same.  I want to DWJWD and find more than what this A.D.H.D world can ever offer.


Next post: Sunday, June 13 - "Alternative Realities"

Carpe Diem!

 "This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." – Ps 118:24

Last Sunday was a very special day in the life of our family – one for which I am deeply thankful.  My husband had the opportunity to baptize our 17 year old son.   You may wonder why a pastor’s kid would wait until he was 17 to be baptized.  Frankly, I was starting to wonder myself, but he is an old soul and takes his faith pretty seriously.  I guess it makes sense then why he waited.  I was glad that he did because it reminded me that God writes the story…not me.  As I read through Ben’s notes Saturday night I was thoughtful about the fact that when I surrender the story to God, I rather enjoy the turns and find ease in the stride because I am not the one trying to control the outcome. 

When it came time for Ben to share his testimony and be baptized, I grabbed the camera and started clicking away. I mean, that’s what you do, right?  It was such a special time for which I had waited long for and I should be basking in the glory of God's gracious work... but, well… a part of me…missed it!  You see, I became so distracted trying to CAPTURE the moment that I couldn’t just BE IN the moment.   I’ve added these poor quality pictures because they're all I have, which is the reason I even wrote this today.  I wish I could have seen the motion in that hug, or of him going down into the water and back up, but instead I have a blurry still-life snapshot.  These are a good visual reminder of how we can lose focus and perspective when we get distracted with the “minors” and miss the “majors” of life’s little moments.

Pictures are important because they help us remember, but sometimes it’s more important to put the camera down and show up to the party-  carpe diem or seize the day!  This Thanksgiving I want to do just that.  Sure I will take pictures but more than that, I want to be present with those I am with.  I want to seize the day and see what God has in store.  I’m willing to bet it will be easier than trying to navigate a perfectly scrumptious turkey, a beautifully set table or a wonderfully baked pie.  The best conversations seem to allow room for our imperfect worlds to collide a bit, and they usually happen when we are less concerned with centerpieces and allow for  mismatched silverware or a boxed stuffing, and well….sometimes I just have to remember that life is often only half-baked but there is beauty and perfection in the moment when Christ has room to enter in and be a part of it all.

This Thanksgiving let’s

 

...Carpe diem!