Spiritual ADHD

During the debut party of my college friend, a boy around 10 years old took my attention. He was quite playful. He moved anywhere and played anything that catches his attention—he even licked the chocolate fountain displayed in public! In short, his attitude seemed not to fit on his age.

In the midst of the celebration, I asked the debutante, who is a relative of the boy, if he has some kind of mental disability. And I was right! She told me that the kid was diagnosed to have an ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) which according to National Institutes of Health, is characterized by difficulty in staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and being hyper. I terribly felt sad deep inside. Some people looked at him with disgust and humiliation, but I’m convinced it was never his fault.

Then another person came into the scene; her mother. She was trying to control the behavior of her child as she cleaned the boy’s clothing and chocolate-smeared face. It must be really hard taking care of a stubborn special child like him. But then I couldn’t see a hint of hardship on her face, instead, an overflowing essence of a mother’s love.

We can relate the mother-and-child scene to our Christian life. Our father in heaven is actually the strongest and most patient parent of all. Know why? Because He’s taking care billions of special children! (You know what I meant).  That is right, we are all ADHD children, Christians or non-Christians. It is our very nature to seek and hold on to things that catches our attention. We dwell on things which makes us feel comfortable and happy without considering the warnings and instructions of our Father. In Jeremiah 7:24 which says “But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward,” the prophet illustrated symptoms of an ADHD child—being stubborn and not paying attention to God. He also mentioned that hard-headed people move backwards; not straining forward and not growing spiritually.

However, just like the said disability, it was never our fault why we were born sinful in nature (We can’t undo what Adam and Eve did on the Garden of Eden, instead pay the price of their downfall). But the love of our Father is overflowing that He still cared for us. Just like the mother, God never ceased in giving us attention and giving us instructions of life. He made the bible for us; He tapped people to direct us in our paths; He used circumstances to change our perspectives—all of these things shows His unending love and care for us. The good news is, ADHD can be cured overtime. You only need a couple of therapies to take! But the cure of spiritual ADHD? It’s in 2 Timothy 3:14-15, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,  and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Keep reading and obeying God’s instructions through the Bible. Another one: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2).”

Stop being hyper and attention-seeker! Grow up and be transformed for His glory. And if you have overcame Spiritual ADHD, don’t judge those who under this circumstance. Remember you were once like them, show instead care and affection just as our Father in heaven cares for them. How? Share God’s word and power!

UNGUARDED

On the valley of the shadow of death, we fail because we fight spiritually unguarded.

Artwork By: Sharah Mae Molina
Materials Used: Paper and Pen

Description/Reflection:

Have you experience that one instance when you felt so revived, zealous, strong, and fully charged? And then the next moments or days after, you felt drowned, pained, seemed hopeless, or defeated?

A thousand times I felt this, but by God’s grace, He made me realized that anytime and anywhere, there’s always that war between good and evil; between right and wrong; between the legions of angels of God against principalities governing this world; and even between flesh and spirit.

Every day, I felt like walking through the valley of the shadows of death. Wherever I go, darkness tries to trap me dead. Until lately, God let me read Ephesians 6:18, James 5:16, Matthew 26:41 which talks about the need of prayer. Honestly, I never really realized the purpose of it until God opened my eyes to understand that PRAYER doesn’t only have power. Rather, it is in PRAYER that we either WIN or LOSE the battle.

Oops! Dead End!

One time during our economics class, our instructor began telling the story of his life. One part of it was the death of her sister—on the dawn of that unfaithful day, she chose to cut off her life and escape from the huge wall of problems facing her.

The story of her sister was in fact just one of the million worldwide suicide incidents that happen each year. Most of these cases are triggered by severe depression, condemnation, issues of existence, and of course, hopelessness. And believe it or not, these feelings happen to us most of the time. There are points in our life when it seems like there’s no way out; when everything seems to fall out of control; when the weight is too heavy and you chose to say “Alright, I give up!”

                One biblical scene helped me contemplate about how to deal with dead ends in a Christian perspective—Moses and Israelites crossing the Red Sea. When the Israelites thought they were completely free from the slavery of the Egyptian Pharaoh, God made a slight twist! “The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh King of Egypt, so then he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. (Exodus 14:8) Then there came the great chase, until Moses and his people were unable to advance because the wide expanse of the Red Sea loomed in front of them. Guess what? The Israelites started to feel hopeless and began grumbling at Moses and God. (v. 11-14)

Creation Speaks of Our Creator

Science has always been my favorite subject since elementary. Learning stuffs such as our environment, the universe, and the processes involving it interests me a lot—simple to complex organisms and phenomenon, name it! And science has a rational explanation to it (not all, actually). However, as a Christian, I have observed that since time immemorial, science seems to continuously question the existence of our God.

In school, it’s a cliche hearing debates pertaining God versus science. For instance, the theories of creation. When our teacher discusses about the universe existed from a giant explosion, or condensation of clouds and gasses, or collision of heavenly matters, I remain convinced that the biblical creation is the most accurate of all. KNOW WHY? Because I myself has proven that God made the heavens and the earth (Gen.1:1). Instead of doubting and losing my belief in our Creator, I found out science helped me a lot in my faith. From the simple rising and setting of the sun, the blooming of flowers in the morn, the push and pull of waves on the shore, or even the complex chemical reactions in our system, it all meant one thing—the creations tell us about our Creator!

Doodle Art: Jesus At The Center

Entry No: 1
Materials: Pen, Color Pencils
Artist: Admin

Description: Hey! The drawing looks childish, but it signifies a lot. The cartoon characters depicts us people who have different characteristics, moods, personalities, styles, and etc. But regardless of how distinct we are made, let us not forget to put Jesus as the center of all things. When everything is under His hands, there is unity and harmony on it. He knows everything, He controls everything. In Christ, life can be so colorful and meaningful just as the doodle shows it above.

Verses:
Romans 8:28 
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Colossians 1:17 
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

What is CYJ?

CYJ (Christian Youth Journal) is a Christ-centered blog established to inspire and motivate young Christians in building deep relationship with God and fellow brethren by sharing with them devotionals, testimonies, and showcasing God-given skills all done for the glory of the Lord.