Are You ADD in Your Prayer Life?

The little boy sits squirming at his seat.  The teacher is presenting a wonderful lesson on adjectives, but his mind is far away.  She calls him back occasionally, and he is with her long enough to get the gist of the concept, but then his mind takes him down another road.  To all of my teacher friends, this scenario is common.  Often, a classroom is full of students that struggle with attending to lessons.  It is commonplace in schools across our nation.  

The lady sits down with her Bible, devotional book, journal and cup of coffee.  She is fully intent upon reading and digging deep into the Word as well as praying and perhaps even recording some thoughts of her own.  The first few minutes are successful, but then her thoughts become distracted.  She reads a verse, but her mind is fixed on the mountain of laundry or the chicken that she forgot to defrost.  She makes a mental note, and rereads the verse.  As she reads further-the cycle continues.  She reads a few minutes or prays a bit and finds her mind has once again drifted off to the never-ending chores that await her.  Her journal page for the day becomes her 'to-do list'.  She leaves her 'secret place' feeling a bit frustrated.  Sound familiar?

Prayer time ADD (attention deficit disorder) is the prognosis- and many Christians suffer from it.

What is the cure?  

The teacher in the classroom has learned accommodations to assist the student with ADD.  Place them near the teacher's desk and away from distractions- use some type of signal to get them back on task such as a tap on the shoulder- make sure they understand an assignment... the list goes on.

But what can adults do to eliminate their problems?

One issue is that most adults have an overloaded schedule.  It is often difficult to concentrate on one item when there are fifteen more that are running through your mind.  This is not an easy fix, but it is attainable with a little effort.  

Take a 'snapshot of your life'-what is really important . . . take a look and regroup.

Start by making a list of everything you do-  put it in order of priority- then start eliminating those items that are not essential.  Maybe you are volunteering to do too many things- or maybe your children are involved in too many activities.  It is okay to say 'no'.  Limit sports to one per year for your children.  After a few years of chaos, our children were only allowed to participate in one sport per school year. . .  and that helped our hectic schedule dramatically.  

Cut out activities that are draining you.

Maybe you are volunteering too much at church- yes, that's right- at church.  Remember priorities- God first, then your family, and then church.  Take a close look and pray about your decision.

After you have weeded a few items off the list, you then need to get organized.  Housework and meal planning need a schedule that will help eliminate stress.  Meal planning is a big stress reliever.  Check out Pinterest for a source of guidance on both of these issues.

Organization will free up your brain to help you concentrate on tasks at hand.  As you start to lighten your load you will find that your prayer time will become more about praying and reading God's word.

Once you have worked on your schedule and organization, then focus on your prayer time.

Devote yourself to your secret place with God.  

Shut out the world as Jesus said in Matthew 6:6:

"But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

I know as a parent it is hard, but teach your children that you need this time alone with God---because He is already there awaiting you.

These are just a few steps, but they are important.  You may still get distracted, but keep on working at it.  Ask God to help you and He will guide your steps.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, daily.