Category Archives: Disappointment

ADHD, Disappointment, Encouragement

Our Weakness, His Strength

Special thanks to Hadijah for your recent comment. You’ve helped me see that God is still using this blog to encourage people.

As ADHDers, we often feel powerless to control the many problems in our lives. And unfortunately, most of these problems come from our own brains.

Right now, we may feel helpless in the face of COVID-19. Some of us have lost our jobs and incomes because of the virus. Others fear losing our health, our loved ones, or have already lost both.

I’m not going to lie to you and say everything is going to work out the way you want. I don’t have all the answers. However, I know that while we are weak, God is strong. And while we cannot rely on our strength, we can rely on His to get us through.

I have seen God come through for me many times in my life. Though the outcomes haven’t always been what I wanted, in retrospect, I see His strong hand holding mine, even when my problems were my fault. And especially when they weren’t.

When we are weak, He is strong

2 Corinthians 12:8-9.  Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” (NLT)

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ADHD, Disappointment, Forgiveness, Mercy, Regret

When you can’t take it back

Person feeling shame
There are some things you can’t take back–a word spoken in anger, an impulsive action, the consequence of procrastination. No matter how much we apologize, no matter how many reparations we make, we have many debts we simply cannot repay. What’s worse, we ADHDers are more prone to flashes of anger, slips of the tongue, and impulsive actions. We tend to do or say things we later regret more than other people do.

So what do we do when we can’t take it back?

Sometimes, the only thing we can do is run straight into the arms of God. Even so-called minor sins pile debts on ourselves we cannot repay. That’s why we must rely on the redemption that Christ gave us on the cross. God’s grace is big enough to cover our deepest sins and regrets. While there are consequences for our actions, God’s grace is still there in the midst of those consequences. So when you can’t take it back, when you can’t undo it, take it to God and let his grace cover it.

Lamentations 3:22-23 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (KJV)

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ADHD, Disappointment, Forgiveness, Mercy, Sins

Looking Back

A few weeks ago, I was looking for some old homeschooling documentation that I needed for one of my kids. As I was sifting through the boxes, I found reminder after reminder of the mistakes, sins, and missteps I had made throughout my life.

I got depressed and angry about them because I’m still living with the consequences of many of them. I’d love to say they were all a result of undiagnosed ADHD, but that would be a lie. What’s important to remember is that God has forgiven me for them all. He has separated them from me as far “as the east is from the west.” So I need to stop looking back at my sins and mistakes because they are covered by the grace of God.

What about you? Are you still looking back? It’s time to stop. Jesus died so that God could forgive you. If you’ve asked for forgiveness, rest assured that He gave it to you.

Psalms 103:12 NLT

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

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Disappointment, Mercy

Disappointment with Myself

I had a disappointment with myself yesterday. That happens a lot for people with ADHD. What I found most discouraging was that in everything related to this disappointment, I could see where ADHD gives me trouble. But I couldn’t say, “It’s not my fault. It’s my ADHD.” In fact, with this knowledge, I have more responsibility, not less.

Starting today, I’m going to have to find a better strategy for staying on focus. But the good thing is that today is a new day. The past is behind me. I cling to the following verse on a daily basis. It gives me hope because the Lord’s mercies are new every morning.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (KJV)

It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

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