SIGNS, SYMPTOMS, PROBLEMS & BLESSINGS WITH ADHD
Inattention
- Do you find that you frequently “wander off” mentally?
- Are you frequently distracted by irrelevant sights or sounds?
- Do you find yourself missing details or making careless mistakes?
- Do you have difficulty following instructions?
- Do you find yourself losing or forgetting things often?
Hyperactivity
- Can you sit still, or are you always moving your hands or feet while in your chair?
- Do you tap your pencil or your feet?
- Do you regularly play with your hair or clothing?
- Do you consciously resist fidgeting or squirming?
Impulsivity
- Do you often take action before you consider the possible consequences?
- In conversation, do you interrupt others?
- Do you blurt out inappropriate comments?
- Do you experience difficulty waiting in line or for your turn?
It’s also having a brain that sometimes blinks.
So you miss important instructions like exactly when that report is due
or when you’re supposed to pick up the kids.
It’s not noticing the social cues saying, “Stop talking now.” or “That’s not appropriate.”
It’s living to excess and making choices that you know you’ll regret later.
It’s not being able to see the right order of the day. And not being able to set priorities that will help you through it.
It’s knowing that you’re being judged for the messiest office or because you just can’t do small talk.
Or worse, it’s knowing that people just don’t want to depend on you.
The ADHD Disciple and Apostle: Peter
How powerfully can God use someone who has ADHD?
Let’s look at the life of Peter, (originally named Simon), and the SYMPTOMS AND BLESSINGS OF ADHD.
Blessings of ADHD:
Courage, willingness to action
Quick Thinker, Insightful, Creative (can think outside of the box)
Inquisitive Mind
Zeal & Devotion (often the first)
Big Heart, Giving, Willing to Sacrifice for Others
Leadership potential
Symptoms of ADHD:
- Impulsivity, Rashness, Strong Emotions
- Inattention
- Easily Distracted
- Peter’s Impulsivity: All four gospels picture Peter as impulsive, rash, and the first to act and speak his mind.
a. When Jesus began to speak of his sufferings, Peter rebuked him. But our Lord in return rebuked Peter, speaking to him in sterner words than he ever used to any other of his disciples (Matt. 16:21–23; Mark 8:31–33).
b. Peter said to Jesus “You shall never wash my feet.” John 13:6-11
c. Peter cut off the ear of Malchus the night Jesus was arrested. Matthew 26:51
d. Peters’ denial of even knowing Jesus after Jesus was arrested. Matthew 26:69–75 - Peter’s Inattention & Distractibility:
a. When Jesus was transfigured and Moses and Elijah appeared, Peter missed the point and began to offer to build three booths, one for each Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. …While he was going on like this, babbling, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and sounding from deep in the cloud a voice: “This is my Son, marked by my love, the focus of my delight. Listen to him.” Peter was missing the point, and God interrupted and said “Listen.” Matt 17:1-5 - Peter’s Courageous Actions:
a. He followed Jesus to the high priest’s palace the night Jesus was arrested, while the other disciples scattered.
b. These passages suggest that Peter’s leadership among the disciples in the post-Easter church was based on his having been the first disciple to see the risen Lord (e.g., Luke 24:34; Mark 16:7)
c. Death: We know that Peter died as a martyr in Rome (1 Pet. 5:1, 13; John 21:18-19; 1 Clem. 5:1-6:1). - Peter’s Quick Thinking & Insight:
a. He (Jesus) then asked, “And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?” Peter gave the answer: “You are the Christ, the Messiah.” - Peter’s Inquisitive Mind
a. Peter is also the one who asks about the identity of Jesus’ betrayer (John 13:24-25). - Peter’s Zeal & Devotion:
a. Peter and his companions left everything in order to follow Jesus (vv. 9-11). Peter’s possessions were always at Jesus’ disposal. Jesus stayed at Peter’s house at Capernaum, where he is said to have healed Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1:29-31; Matt. 8:14-15; Luke 4:38-39).
b. When Jesus appeared at the Sea of Tiberias to his disciples, Peter leaped into the sea and came to land when Jesus was recognized. John 21:1-23 - Peter’s Big Heart, Giving, Willing to Sacrifice for Others
a. The overall picture of Peter as one of the chief leaders responsible for an expanding Christian mission, first to Jews, then to interested Gentiles, is confirmed by the picture of Peter in Acts 1-15. Peter may, indeed, as Acts 10-11 suggests, have been responsible for some form of compromise by which Gentiles were considered ‘clean’ and acceptable members of the Christian community. - Peter’s Leadership:
a. Peter is credited with being a leader among the disciples during Jesus’ ministry. Frequently, he was their spokesman. His name always occurs first in lists of the disciples (Mark 3:16; Luke 16:14; Matt. 10:2; in Matthew ‘first’ is added to Peter’s name).
Other Accomplishments:
Raised Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:36–43)
Peter wrote two epistles (1 Pet. 1:1, 2 Pet. 1:1)
Things Jesus Said to Peter
- Jesus at once recognized Simon (Peter’s original name) and declared that hereafter he would be called Cephas, an Aramaic name corresponding to the Greek Petros, which means “a mass of rock detached from the living rock.”
- In John 21:15-17 the risen Jesus elicits a threefold protestation of love, corresponding to the threefold denial, from Peter before commissioning him to feed Jesus’ sheep.
- Jesus prays for Peter, “Your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32)
