A Formula for Prayer
I’m not a math teacher, but I am married to one. If you multiply two negatives, you get a positive. I am living proof of this. I was diagnosed in graduate school with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
This eye-opening discovery explained why reading and retaining what I read was so difficult for 32 years of my life. But in this same discovery, I learned that having both ADD and OCD was a blessing, not a curse or tragedy. You see, when someone with ADD would have given up, my OCD kept me moving forward, regardless, toward the goals before me.
I can honestly say, “Thank you God” for these gifts. One without the other would have been tough and is tough. But as I see it, together, these two negatives have been a positive in my educational journey.
College graduation and graduate school graduation were separated by 10 years. My GPA at the end of both experiences were EXACTLY the same. Without OCD I would have never succeeded academically with ADD. God is mysteriously good, isn’t He? Now I am not praying for you to have ADD and OCD, but I do hope you can learn how to turn what life gives you into something positive. As some suggest, turn those lemons into lemonade!
If you have ever seen the movie, “Sleeping With the Enemy,” you will understand, to a certain degree, what my wife goes through daily. Go into our kitchen, and our spices are in alphabetical order. Look in the cabinets and there is a special and unique place for everything. The glasses go here and are grouped by size and color. The cups are grouped likewise. There is a specific place for everything.
If I had lived in the early 1900s, there is no doubt Mr. Carson could have used me at Downton Abbey. As I get older, I’m not quite as OCD as I once was. At least that’s my story. Don’t ask my better half. But some things never change in my life. When it comes to praying, I take advantage of my OCD.
In the morning I thank God for my sleep, and another day. I pray for God to watch over me and others as we travel to and from work. I pray for God to lead, guide and direct us in all that we, think, say and do. In the evening, I thank God for another day and have a longer prayer.
I created a formula when I pray so that I will not be led astray by my ADD. I always pray for others and my life categorically and in the same order—spiritually, physically, mentally, socially, financially and academically.
If you are lucky, you do not have ADD or OCD. But my sincerest prayer is that you will do things in your life, obsessively, in order to draw nearer to God.
He offers us the gift of forgiveness and eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. And being the sinner that I am, I need to pray regularly for God to forgive me. And I can do this, thanks to my OCD.