ADD and Spirituality | ADHD Information

i don't want to profane his sanctuary for I am a crookedbacked.

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. . . . a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous. Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, Or crookbacked, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken; No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire . . . he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the Lord do sanctify them." (Leviticus 21:16-23)

I am mentally disabled or blemished w.ADHD. Does that count ?

worldisround39159.6124884259

It was a strange twist of events in my life that had left me virtually without any hope of redemption from what I imagined would be an eternal tourment, coupled with the stern warnings from my mother about the fate of bad little KIDDs who dis their mommies... then throw in some dramatic recreations from hollywood like the Ten Comandments that swayed my belief in God from the Loving Father of Light to a cruel ruthless task master who hovered on high waiting for me to mess up so he could punnish me.

I recall vividly how enchanted I was at first, a little 7 year old Catholic boy hearded into the church daily at school. I loved walking in and smelling the auroma of the wooden pews or benches... not at all like bus stop benches. While indulging in scent of the wood on the pews in front of me as we knelt to pray one day I looked up at the life-sized Christ nailed to the crucifix and began to wonder... why did God let those bad guys do this to His only Son, nail him up in His underware for all the people to laugh at Him. And why did Jesus let them, heck... he had powers and abillities far beyond those of mortal men. Later my mom took me to see the Ten Comandments. I sat in wonder as Charlton Heston would go up on the mountain to get the comandments and that gangster guy Edward G Robinson would rally the people to sin... "Hey yoos mugs! Let everybody gather up all your golden doorknobs see.. yeah, and stuff like dat so we can melt them down and make a big cow see...yeah".. the Charlton comes back and has a cow, breaks the comandments in pieces then God starts wreeking havock on the whole crowd, sending pestillence and locust and all kinds of mean nasty stuff. Soon, I was afraid I was going to get punnished and when we were made to go to confession where you tell the priest all your sins for the month, I would lie through my teeth and make up some lesser offences, and when he told me I'll be ok if I say x amount of prayers before I leave. So I would go up to the alter and figure how long I should kneel so he thinks I said them all and not even say a prayer.

Fast forward 33 years later as I layed in a hospital bed, straped down to prevent me from doing any more damage to my badly burned and broken frame... injuries from a fatal car crash in which the doctors revived me twice. I didn't have to think twice about why I lived through that crash. This was God punnishing me for being me. For 10 more years I drank, spiritually dead I had no hope or ambition. Their is a hell, and I lived in it for those ten long yearsThen one evening while breaking the law in my favorite state... the state of drunkeness, I got nabbed by the coppers and sentenced to attend AA meetings.

Fast forward another 10 years to now. I will not go on and on about How I found this wonderfull spiritual path I walk today, a path I believe with all my being leads me closer to Him. I will say that after seing the thousands of cases where folks like me had stumbled near death and became open minded enough to give this vital nutrient... spirituallity, a fair and persistant trial, I was convinced that God was not punnishing me for my sins. I was punnishing myself for my sins, by my sins. I do not punnish myself anymore, I have a wife to do that for me. I talk to God daily where I go for prayer and meditation... outside by the river, by myself, just me and Him. I have been blessed and I carry this Holy Spirit with me always, and I fully believe that this is today, my only solace.

Am wondering how many of you find solace through some sort of "spirituality" for lack of a better term? I say spirituality in contrast to religion because I think they're very different. What have you found helpful?

For me its the Tao teh Ching, I ching, a little twelve step, and basic Christianity.... When I'm feeling overwhelmed or like my brain is on fire, I throw the I ching online and it has a weird centering effect. Still don't feel like I fit in in any church proper, but these things have been very helpful with the whole ADD thing.

Here's a link in case you're interested: http://www.eclecticenergies.com/iching/virtualcoins.php

What's with that ? you mean people that have flat noses can't be worthy of sacrifice nor priests?

Is he not an equal opportunity employer ?

Were the sacrifices human ? I mean brockenfooted,crookedbacked,dwarf -are they not speaking of humans ?

Please explain !!! it doesn't make sense !
worldisround39160.0075115741 I read Hebrews:

My conclusion is God will not forgive us unless we shed the blood of some innocent creature.

He is a bloodthirsty God ?

Errrrrm.....Thanks but No thanks. Not my cup of tea..err, I mean blood

This thread will be locked soon. it's a taboo subject.

Religion is not the problem, people are

The important issue is whether we share ethical and moral values, not whether we are believers or non-believers. So I leave it at that.

worldisround39160.0547916667

Worldisround,

The verse you were refering to was written for the preists. The sacrifice they were to offer up was to be without defect, so too were the preists to be pure. I believe that problem was fixed if you read Hebrews 9:11-14.

Broken hearted-- I am made complete. Poor in spirit- I am lifted up. Mourning- I am comforted. Living for self was death, dying to self is life.

Howdy! I am 61 years old. In December of 2005 I found out that I have ADHD. It started because I was crying with greater intensity and frequency than usual and I had a problem with porn addiction that caused a fear of shame too great if others would find out and I was thinking about taking my life as a way out. And, even now after God has helped me to end the terribly consuming addiction that was part of the trigger for my melt down, I go thru terribly dark times after I have behaved badly. For example my poor wife, who like me came from traumatic childhoods with psychotic parents, just doesn't get me- just doesn't see my struggle with ADHD and sometimes, lately, we have these really angry arguments and I use really foul language and slam doors and throw things (sort of a new developement- not at her just dramatically sling things. Well, anyway, then I feel desperately l sorry and alone and I cry unto My Father with the feeling that I can't be here anymore(on this planet) and then he sends an angel- in the case of last nites meltdown it was my oldest daughter that helped me. I am glad for my ADHD. And, then when I thought I just can't go home my youngest daughter calls from home (she came home unexpectly) and talks me thru the rest of my landing. It makes me poor and needy. If I was really cool and normal I would be like so many who don't know how lost they are because they are so cool and seemingly complete in themselves. But I had to seek help for the missing part. Like there was a crack in the vessel of me and it needed some mortar. And God provided that. It is not easy. And, sometimes I have been very angry (same as hurt here) even at God. My nature tells me I would rather be normal. But my heart now full of Great Love says I am thankful that I am flawed but in way that is useful to God (some stories about other flawed men that I have helped because of my experience(have had meldowns with triggers almost identical to mine with like pathos) and the necessary compassion for others that must come with the thankfulness). I have found the Christ and he dwells with in and he sends me out to be with others because in going forth I am a testimony to His transforming power and great love. And going forth to be in the midst of others even the ones that I despise for their seeming phoniness, proves God's work of Love and my thankfulness because Jesus said we must Love even out enemies and pray for them (this works)- and this is Love that He first loved us. Loved us when we were unlovable. And He dwells not in temples made with human hands. And when the temple veil was rent in two it ended the need to go to any other man as intermediary. And, you can know his disciples by their love for one another. Now, go thru Christ to our Father.

Hi -- I haven't posted in such a long time! Been distracted.....

Anyway...this topic caught my eye because up until I was diagnosed at age 40 2 1/2 years ago, I "managed" my ADD with spiritual activity (prayer, regular church attendance, ministry activities, etc.). The natural creativity that seems to drench the ADD temperament even took me to a leadership role in the drama ministry at my former church. Unfortunately, the church leadership and the resident counselor (a certified psychologist) failed to see that my "problems" were not spiritual in nature, but were due to raging ADD and other comorbid disorders (dysthysmia, severe depressive episodes, post-traumatic stress disorder, & general anxiety disorder). I was released from ministry because the stupid psychologist failed to see this and reported to my superior in ministry that I was uncooperative and unwilling to explore my "core issues." I apparently would never grasp "who I am in Christ" due to this stronghold of unconfessed sin.

Luckily, I was not only mentally and spiritually exhausted from trying to live up to an impossible standard, I was physically a wreck. I thought I felt like crap because I was burnt out, so I went to a real psychiatrist who ordered bloodwork along with working on a diagnosis for my mental torment. 3 more months without treatment and I would have been dead or very close to it.

Long story short, I now take a cocktail of Lexapro and Adderall XR and for the first time in my life I don't want to put myself out of my misery. I attend a different church and they have nurtured and loved me to productive spiritual health. I am using my gifts and talents and the meds I take help me grasp and internalize spiritual concepts I wasn't able to before.

Now, God is a valued friend who I know will never reject or judge me for my "quirks," and this strengthens me enormously. It's not the religion, but the relationship that is the soft place to land and the solid rock to stand on.

Precisely! Well put. Thanks for sharing. I pray you are able to continue to use your talents and your heart for ministry. It appears from your wording that you still carry some ill feelings toward your previous church staff. I hope you can move past and forgive.

Yes...I still have hurt where the other church is concerned. I am working to put it behind me and learn something from it. I know God was essentially rescuing me out of a "family" that was not healthy or suited to my needs. However, I was there for over 10 years and I sacrificed a great deal to serve in the capacity I was in. I was betrayed by people I trusted and loved like real family, and I lost more than a ministry. it also does not help that I live in a relatively small city and it is impossible to go anywhere and not run into a member from that 2000 attendee mega church. I get questioned by people who don't understand why I left and they beg me to return. It keeps already slow-healing wounds open.

Oh well.....rehashing it here does not help, so I will stop now. But thanks for acknowledging my post. I'll be ok.

Well you guys are fine in "my book" and i can tell you are wonderful people.
So god bless,just in case.
I think we all just want to live in peace and get along.
It's what we do -not what we believe.
We all have a hard path. so what keeps us going -we will respect.

So many people have 'the' answer, they know they are on the path that leads somewhere and become irritated when they cannot pull others along with them. And why shouldn't they be? After all, most believe that it is their sacred duty to help others, to give light to their darkened world, to treat others the way they wish to be treated.

When I find myself sparring over beliefs, I remember reading about the Apostle John getting his panties in a wad over the fact that he seen some guy 'casting out devils' in God's name... and the guy didn't even follow them! So him and his pals the other Apostles told the guy he can't do that, we forbid it! Well, Jesus told John to..take a chill pill dude! Forbid him not: for their is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our side. It all came down to this; We are all one, and for someone to do a good thing for another regaurdless of who he follows, he has done a good thing. In other words, if I follow the teachings of uh...say... Vishnue, and I see a person suffering from thirst and give him a drink, I have relieved his suffering. If the person suffering say's "Hey you non-Christian heathenous bastard, I don't want your water" and offends me because of his beliefs and I give him a drink just the same, I am not only helping the thirsty guy but helping myself and all who see or hear of it. Even though I am not a Christian, I have performed Christian doctrine in my forgiving the man for not having my beliefs by 'turning to him the other cheek' by 'going 2 miles when challenged to go a mile'... and by 'loving my enemies as myself'.

Jesus Himself had very little patience for the organized religions of His days. He was always in the way with them, so much so that they feared for their positions in life and had Him crucified... with God on their side. Then after Jesus gives up the ghost, His followers start their own religions and addapt the same narrow view, facillitating wonderous historical events like The Spanish Inquisition which was implimented by the Roman Catholic church to single out non-believers for torture and death, no drinks for those heathens!

To speak out agianst any man or woman is to speak out against the image of god.

It is very hard to realize that we should be thankful for all things good and all things bad.

Then after Jesus gives up the ghost, His followers start their own religions and addapt the same narrow view, facillitating wonderous historical events like The Spanish Inquisition

The human condition never changes. We are all selfish, flawed, corrupt and self indulgent to some degree. I always laugh at Genesis. Adam and Eve have already had a little fruit cocktail. God goes looking for Adam and Eve in the garden. Of course he knows where they are and what they've done, but he calls to them anyway. "Where are you?" Adam answers "I was afraid because I'm naked, so I hid". God asks Adam "how do you know you are naked? Did you eat from the tree?" What does Adam do? He points the finger at Eve and tells God "it's that woman you sent, she made me do it!". God turns to Eve. Eve points the finger at the snake and tells God "the snake tricked me". And so it goes... We're never going to get it right.

Be nice... or there will be;

Wailing Gnashing Of Teeth Death

You don't wanna go there girlfriend !!!

Sorry guys it ain't you. But when "certain people"
are trying to influence legislation so that it can be dictated to others what sex they can have relationships with,dictating birth control methods,dictating what women can and can't do with their bodies, stopping stem cell research which is meant to save a life that is loved,known and will be missed (like someones mommy or child)-supressing and manipulating scientific facts then yes,I take it very personal. I and others must stop them. i would never make religion illegal as long as it stays out of OUR science and bedroomS.
you asked -you got the answer.
Quit trying to save my soul and i will quit trying to save your reasoning skills .OK ?
All this because of a book that claims the earth is flat and held up by pillars,a bat is a fowl,when your children disobey stone them, daughters getting their father drunk and getting impreganated, women bought sold and raped, kill your only son (haha I was just testing you !!) Shall I go on ? I could go on and on (obviously)
And I'm not even atheist. And everytime i ask for an explanation of some god-ugly story I get a heaping dose of "whitewashing" just like they do in politics . I can see right through it. Making it sound right and nice doesn't make it right.Alot of people fall for it.I can dig Jesus but his father ?
No way !
If I am a lost soul then send me a road map that makes some friggin sense to show me the way. but I thought I had a brain for that ? And if god is all -mighty then he is an underachiever ! i can be spiritual,of good character,kind and reasoning at the same time. Can't I or am I less of a person because I don't believe in the good ? book ? Well according to your book -I am. Case and point. So by throwing bible verses at us you are discrimanting against us non-believers. you are saying if we don't believe we are doomed. That's hatred and discrimination. So there .This is why I get angry because it's a form of finger pointing and it's a threat disguised as kindness. The message is repent or go to hell
.How kind of some.

"It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand." MARK TWAIN
worldisround39160.6256944444I feel sooo "crucified" !

I've been having to defend my logic and free-thinking all my life !

Not so much into logic myself...but the free-thinking part I dig!!!!

Peace Out

Howdy! I want to apologize for being so naive about the effects my statement of faith would have. I don't do blogs. I had a crisis the other nite and I was looking for a forum/blog that might help me deal with what I have been going thru in the last year after having found out why I have been weird all my life. There is so much that I don't understand about the depth of emotion I am feeling. I do understand this about me and that is that I have always felt that a great loving power has been involved in my life. I believe that this same loving force was the source of my being. And, when I want to die, when I want it all to go away it is a consolation that this loving power loves me and has a plan for me and I have seen blessing and prosperity in the hands of this great love and I after many tears and pleas for help am consoled. I probably shouldn't have stopped off at this thread among so many others that would be more helpful to me. I don't know how many of you have been brought out of a life of shipwreck and had some years of relative prosperity and peace in raising a family of 7 kids with a wife who also came out of a past of ship wreck. But, then, in the 60th year of your life you are struck with symptoms of major depression and then subsequently, with further psychiatric evaluation the diagnosis is ADHD. Something that I have always thought of as being a joke or something to joke about. But, now it is not a joke. It is a mental illness and I have it. And, I have to take a bunch of drugs to help me deal with its effects on my life and the biggest one is that I find myself crying for a world of poor wretches like myself but, many who have not had so much help. Who have not been rescued from shipwreck and I cannot enjoy my life- cannot go from mirth to pleasure and treasure without consideration of what it will take to help them. And, so I am in the house of crying. And, I want them all to have the help of the loving power that I have had. And I have seen in a measure the part of the plan of my life is that I would help others because my own experiences have put in my hands, in spite of the dark moments on a rocky path when I stumble, a lamp that is a little light to the path of myself and fellow travelers. I hate what false religion has done. And 99.9% of what is out there representing itself as truth or Jesus or God is false. And, I think there is only one law and that is the law of love. And, it has nothing to do with the laws and doctrines of condemnation that are the mainstream denominational religions.

OK, I didn't plan on posting again. I had responded to the original post because the spiritual part of my life is a place where I find great joy. It was not my intention to influence others.

That being said, I've worked my butt off all my life and I'm finally in a place where I can see the positives. I'm the last person anyone would expect to be refering to scripture. Years ago I would have led the pack in blasting anyone who was dumb enough to fall for all that Jesus stuff. What happened? I'm not really sure, but I'm thankful for the change of heart. As for organized religion... Each little institution has it's own little dictrine and they can all go around thinking they are right but, when you boil it all down noone knows what the right answer is. We all have to make our own decisions. If I find my answers in a book, so be it.

Worldisround,

We all have the ability to choose. Some choose to find comfort/happines in their work, some choose to find it in their family others choose hobbies. Some take a more destructive route and for others they choose to find solace in their faith.

We could go back and forth, but I don't want to debate the validity of what I believe. What we believe shapes who we are. You can't separate that out. I choose to take the pain and difficulties associated with ADD and allow them to help me feel more empathy/sympathy for others. I also choose to use my creative side to give back to the part of my life where I feel solace and comfort.

worldisround

I've come to the conclusion that debating the validity of any given religion with adherants for said religion is a road to nowhere. Attacking religions is even more unproductive. What is the desired outcome? Are you trying to A) convince someone that their religion is wrong- won't happen B) Just share your feeling and opinion- in this case it will cause more harm than good.

Lets not let this thread devolve into a pissing match over which belief system is "right". Its a hot topic, we know we don't all agree on it...so what? How much bloodshed throughout history because of religion?

I don't care WHAT your religion is, if it brings you more freedom, peace of mind, mental health, and improves your ability to love others, then it's good!

Curiosity and the desire for knowledge and awareness have led you to disobey me, but I like your courageous and independent spirit, which is in contrast to your obedient and wimp of a husband.

You have started to become conscious of yourself, of others and of the world about you. This means that you must learn to take responsibility for you own behaviour. You will become aware of primitive thoughts, feeling and inclinations which stem from your animal nature. You are not responsible for them, but for what you do. It is your behaviour that you must learn to control, in accordance with the more enlightened human nature, which will develop in you to progressively replace your primitive animal nature.

Your descendants will learn to understand the workings of the world, making great discoveries and inventions along the way. Used wisely and responsibly these will make life much easier for them, greatly reducing hardship and suffering; used vainly and irresponsibly, they will cause great harm. One of the most useful - but if misused, also most harmful - inventions will be called money.

There will be times when you will despair. Trust me. Over time I will help you to transcend your primitive animal nature, your evil inclinations, your ignorance, fears and vanity. I will increase your understanding and love, and give you the strength and courage needed to do justice to the name that your descendents will one day prematurely give to human kind: Homo sapiens, wise man. This is how I wish god would have responded to us sinners instead of acting like a four year old bad- tempered boy !

worldisround39162.5345717593

This is for TrueBlue:

Thanks for sharing. I've felt at least some of what you're going through. For me, it was a real shake up, great in some way, terrifying in others, to realize that I have ADD, that its as real as the sun in the sky, and that its not going away. I also thought it was an "excuse" or a made up diagnoses. Poetic justice strikes again. Kind of like how I used to make fun of bald people when I was younger!

I think your sense of a loving power is dead on. For me that sense is the only thing I can really trust spiritually. Religions, to me, have some major problems due to the fact that A)They tend to be large hierarchical organizations and B)They are prone to all the human fallabilities that we all know so well: greed, lust for power, etc. There's a lot of good to be had there too, but its the nature of the beast so to speak.

That sense or intuition of "something greater" to me is absolutely real, and can be a core of strength like you said.

I'll get off my soapbox now!

World is round- I had to read your post twice before I got.... very cool though... very cool!

Spirituallity is usually practiced by those who have already been there.

I like that and I agree kidd.
Yes, Jesus was a good one.There were many good ones with good messages.
I guess some people can't figure that out one out in their own head .Good thing there are teachers and guides like Jesus.
Being good to others is common sense and beneficial to all.
It doesn't take a genius or a book to figure that one out by the time you are an adult.
I know plenty who figured it out on their own.
The lesson of life and it's logical consequences.

worldisround39156.3690740741 I belong to the Church of Reality

If its real we believe in it! Welcome to the Church of Reality. Welcome to the Real World. That's our church greeting. If you are frustrated with the current state of the religious world and you are looking for some sanity, you came to the right place. The Church of Reality is a positive force for change and you can be part of it. You can help make it happen. There is a lot of material here. We hope you will invest the time to read it.

The Church of Reality is a religion based on the practice of Realism, believing in everything that is real. Our motto is, "If it's real, we believe in it." Since no one knows all of reality, the Church of Reality is really a religious commitment to the pursuit of reality the way it really is. We think about thinking. We wonder about wondering. We try to understand the understanding of understanding. We are Explorers not followers. The phrase "What is Real?" is our Sacred Question and the word "Reality" is our Sacred Message. We talk about reality, think about reality, and make reality more important in society.

The Church of Reality is a new breed of religion that is based in reality rather than mythology. We answer the great questions that other religions address like what is right and wrong, how do people live in community, and what are our responsibilities, and we do so in the context of our evolutionary history, our present reality, and what we as human want to evolve into as we take control of our evolution. We are a religion that is focused on the future which we call the Sacred Direction.

The Church of Reality is not a religion of science, it is a religion of people. We explore reality from the human perspective. In order to explore reality we need a strong, healthy society where people can live freely and peacefully, and the human race can evolve forward toward a better future. The pursuit of reality is something that is a shared process. It's something we do together as a church, as a community, and as the human race.

We are about Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Reality!

The Church of Reality provides a religious identity for people who have made a personal commitment in their lives to pursue reality the way it really is. When we are asked, "What Religion are you?", we are Realists practicing Realism. We believe in Reality. We also provide community, a social structure, and a moral compass to define right and wrong in the context of Realism. We provide a sense of purpose about who we are, why we exist, and how we live our lives. We do so in the context of science and logic.

We are of One Planet - we are all here together - and we are committed to making the future better than it is today.

The Church of Reality recognizes the fact that the human race has a vast amount of shared knowledge that we all hold in common. We call this shared knowledge the Tree of Knowledge and it is through the growth of our shared knowledge that we can explore the universe around us. By growing the Tree of Knowledge we evolve forward toward a better tomorrow, one where we will know more about reality than we know today. Realism is not just a casual acceptance of reality as real. Realism is a lifestyle - a discipline - and a commitment to the aspects of society that allow us to evolve in a positive direction.

Realists are not without values or morality. Our values are based on Humanism rather than a fictional holy book. As Realists, our values include Positive Evolution, Exploration, Honesty and Integrity, Freedom, Individualism, Peace, Courage, Environmentalism, Compassion, Justice, Inclusiveness, Scrutiny and Doubt, Humility, Reason, Wisdom, and Personal Responsibility. We believe in Original Virtue rather than Original Sin. We are a Doubt-Based rather than Faith-Based religion. These Sacred Principles form the basis for our Church Doctrine and are logically consistent with our missions.

The Church of Reality is an evolving religion. We are not tied to a fixed doctrine that was written in the past and is slowly becoming obsolete. If we get it wrong, we fix our mistakes. We are an Open Source Religion and everyone is welcome to participate in the development and improvement of our religion. We live on a vast wondrous universe that we are just beginning to explore. Why would someone want to waste their entire existence on a fictional world view when there's all this wonderful reality to investigate and understand?

Join our Email List
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We believe in Reality - the way it really is We Spread the Sacred Message - Reality We Choose the Sacred Direction - Forward We Honor the Tree of Knowledge We Ask the Sacred Moral Question - What is Good We Issue the Sacred Challenge We are Activists - We make it Happen We Unite Religion and Reality
worldisround39156.0459027778

Thank you Worldisround. I've read some and look forward to reading more. Sad thing about religion, and Christianity in particular is that their books have been authored by some guy who new a guy who saw a guy that seen one of the guys that hung around them guys who hung around Jesus. When I learned that the Spanish Inquisition was set up by the Roman Catholic church in Spain to 'suppress heresy' or in other words, to punnish/torture/kill people who chose to follow a different path, I stoped reading their book. See, I thought they were getting their instructions from that book. Later though, having re-read it with an open mind I found the writings attributed to Jesus not only carried instruction on how to 'love your enemy', and walking 2 miles if they ask you to walk 1. It went further to explain how this could be accomplished with the stratagy of 'turning the other cheek' & agree with your adversary while your in the way with them, even telling you what the payoff was for this attitude; peace, peace of mind, peace with people I don't even like.

Yup, He told those 12 dudes that followed Him... "Listen you schmucks", when you pray to your Father in heaven, don't be like the hipocrates that do it in the temple and on the corners just to be seen of others... but get in your closet and shut the damn door! What you ask for in secret, He'll give it to you openly"... "oye vay, who ate the last bagal"? Then when He gave up the ghost they all ran willy nilly to open their own temples.

Religion was designed by people afraid to go to hell. Spirituallity is usually practiced by those who have already been there.

Addentist,

I absolutely find my strength in my spirituality. My faith is what helps me move past all the ugly and focus on the beauty. One benefit to having ADD for me is that I know how it feels to be judged, so I judge less and love more. Loving others being the second most important commandment. Although I struggle with the organizational side of my job as a nurse, I see my ADD as a blessing when it comes to my ability to show compassion.

Through my faith I feel the acceptance and understanding that I don't always find out in the world. I am an active member of my church. I am part of our worship team and I sing and play bass. I'm also the little elf who decorates the sanctuary for the holidays. I take time out to have my alone time with God and I feel strongly that being able to use my creative gifts is my affirmation that I am on the right path.

I also find solace in the fact that God does not make mistakes. Psalm 139 (my favorite psalm) talks about how we were planned long before we ever came to be. You might want to give it a gander. We are all created for a purpose I can't think of anything more comforting. As imperfect as I may feel some days, I know I am supposed to be here.

Kidd - You have an amazing story. I hope you know you have a great deal to offer others. I admire anyone who can overcome problems such as addiction and acholism.

My body & mind are my temple (or funny farm) and sanctuary where I reside. If I don't take care of both and treat them with respect it can turn into my own private hell..I nourish both well with healthy food, physical affection, fun, knowledge and humor

My family and loved ones give me the strength to go on

My knowledge and intuition lead me to do the right things

I see failure and mistakes as my teachers so that i may do better next time

Fear is a friend that keeps me out of danger. (Fear is sometimes a pain in the a** too ,just like good friends are.Sometimes Fear butts in when he shouldn't !)

Humor makes the daily obscenities of life bearable

My stubborness and determination lead me to where I want to be,these are my allies
and I try to use them wisely

Logic is my weapon-I don't always let my emotions have the upper hand-otherwise I will be lead to self-deception

It gives me solace to know that all the suffering that I am confronted with and will be in the future is temporary. For all things will pass on.

All these things give me comfort
worldisround39157.4450925926

Wow....thanks for sharing that Kidd.

I have found that the search for focus and answers leeds directly to the contemplation of God and faith. I can't imagine living without at least such a possibility. So I do indeed find solace in spirituality. I find it to be the best form of love, understanding, and generousity I can have for others.