A Disheveled Life -- And ADHD

The best way I can describe my life for the past six months is disheveled. We have been without a laundry room and a kitchen for a good part of this time. For April and May, after school, I’d take the kids to my parent’s house, do laundry, cook supper, do homework, eat and then head home to do the nighttime routine. At best it was taxing.


For about a week and a half we lived at my parent’s house then we were home for a couple of weeks. Then we were at my in-law’s for a week and a half. Pearce has bad allergies, so depending on the work being done in the house determined whether or not we could sleep here.

Needless to say writing has been at the bottom of my list. I simply have not had time, and when I had time I was too exhausted to sit and write. I’m hoping that my disheveled life will be coming to an end soon. My butler’s pantry that houses our washer, dryer and freezer along with the pantry is almost finished. I have some of the cabinets in the kitchen. Pearce is still sleeping in the den on his bed because his room had to be sanded in order to be retextured and painted, but I still have hopes that by the end of summer that my house will be back in order.

Have you ever heard the saying, “The cobbler’s children have no shoes”? The remodeler’s home is undone. I don’t blame him. After doing it all day, it’s hard to come home and do more of it. When all is said and done, I’ll post pictures of Patrick’s handy work. He really is a talented craftsman. Regardless, all of this has taken a toll on me and my ADHD.

That being said, there was a question from my last post at the end of May that I’d like to address if I may. The question was how does someone with ADD/ADHD study the Bible and stay focus. This really isn’t an easy question to answer because everyone is different, but I’ll give you some things that have helped me.

• I have a chair in my office that I sit in to read and study the Bible. It’s comfortable, and it’s a place I like to be and want to be.

• I try to study the Bible when my home is quiet – which is a rarity, but most of the time it is after the kids go to bed or first thing in the morning.

• Before I open the Word of God, I pray. I ask God to show me what He would have me learn. I focus on praising Him for what He has done for me and for whom He is to me. Anytime I get distracted, I try to get back on the right page. Praise leads me into confession. There’s something about being in the presence of Almighty God that brings the sin in my life to the front and center. I ask God to open my mind and my heart to what He wants me to hear from Him.

• Then I focus on a piece of Scripture. I may read a chapter in one version today, and then read that same chapter in a different version the next day. Check out www.mystudyBible.com or www.Biblegateway.com. The next day, I will go through that chapter underlining the subject of the sentence one time and the verb twice. I’ll mark phrases that seem to repeat, and then the next day I’ll go to the commentaries. There is a good commentary on www.mystudyBible.com. Every time I read, I will make notes – what sticks out to me today? What is different about these verses? Who is in them? What have they just been through? What might have they been feeling and thinking? Is there a word I need to look up?

• As for memorizing Scripture, a sweet lady at church gave me 3*5 note cards on a spiral. Whatever verse that is speaking to me that week, I write it down on one of those cards. I keep that spiral card set in my purse or in my car. When I’m sitting at the bank or at my desk and need a little refresher or pick-me-up, I pull it out.

If you struggle with studying the Bible and memorizing whether it is because you are a new believer or ADD or ADHD, please feel free to contact me directly. I’d love to encourage you and mentor you depending on what your need is.

I hope this helps.