If you have ADHD, you most likely feel that you don’t have much self control. If you are more prone to hyperactivity, sitting still for a length of time can be torture. If you are prone to inattentiveness (like me), trying to stay on-task can be a nightmare.
I’ve often wondered how the fruit of the spirit of self control works in the life of someone with ADHD. I read Galations 5:22-23 and wonder, where’s mine?
I think the answer is this. In spite of my brain working against me on a second-by-second basis, I manage to get through the day, do my job, survive. Maybe not as efficiently as someone else, but I get by. I suspect that self control is at work in me. Maybe, I even have more self-control than someone without ADHD. Most people don’t have their brains fighting them every step of the way. We do.
Galations 5:22-23 (NIV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is … self control.
Take stock of what you accomplish in spite of your ADHD. You’re not like most people. And what you get done is amazing. The Lord knows what you’re going through, and He’s on your side.
ADD: Attention Deficit Devotional 
Amen! I watch my husband and son struggle with this on a daily basis. They both feel frustration and anger with themselves in this constant battle with focus. It’s been murder on my son’s social growth.
I pray with my son, who is ten years old, for the fruit of self-control. The school system wants medicine to be his self-control, but for the summer, he can try on his own, with God’s help. He’s doing pretty good, too.
Now we have to work on some of his obsessions and hyper-focuses, namely video games.
; )
Good discussions here!
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for the comment. Just for the record, I’m not against medicine for ADHD. In fact, I take it, and it find it helpful. But you’re right that medicine isn’t a substitute for the fruit of the Spirit of self control. And you know what’s best for your son.
Like I mentioned in my post, your son and husband are battling their own brains. And it is easy to be discouraged. When you factor in their disorder, they could actually be using a lot more self control than a person without ADHD. I hope that’s something they can take encouragement in.