I have recently been prescribed Adderall (yes, the study drug that has raised concern among some). I’ve been having a lot of trouble focusing over this past year and it seemed no matter what steps I took to help me focus, nothing was working. Granted, high school was a lot easier but I never experienced this feeling until I hit my nursing classes in college. Not being able to sit down and study was very frustrating for me and it was something I hadn’t experienced before. I have always been a good student and I valued by ability to study, learn, and expand my knowledge. I finally had to take steps to help with this. Over the past month, I’ve been working out the correct therapeutic dose of Adderall. I started off on a very low dose and couldn’t tell a difference at all in my studying. Then I went back to the doctor and got a higher dose. I picked up my prescription this morning and tried it. For the first time in a while, I’ve been able to put everything else aside and really concentrate. This has been such a productive day and I am very grateful for that. I want to talk a little bit about how the drug made me feel and relate that to how God makes me feel.
As for the Adderall, it is really miraculous. Even though it is an addictive and abused drug among college students, if you take it for the right reasons it is safe and makes a world of difference. I felt motivated, hungry for knowledge, and truly interested in the information I was reading. Being a nursing student, it is crucial to truly understand concepts and apply them to practice. I am excited for each new piece of information I can get my hands on because my future profession depends on my understanding of these concepts now. Today, I was able to understand deep concepts and visualize myself applying them in practice. Today, I was able to block out the background noise and zone in on my textbook. Today, I was able to view my studies as a privilege and a blessing rather than a thorn in my side. And wow, what a great feeling that is.
As for God, He is really miraculous. If you have a relationship with him for the right reasons, He makes a world of difference. He motivates me, reminds me of His plans for my life, and makes me truly invested in spreading His love to everyone. Being a Christian, it is crucial to truly understand my own relationship with God and apply Him to my everyday life. I am excited for each new piece of information I can get my hands on because my relationship with Him depends on my understanding of these new concepts. Every day, I am able to understand deep concepts and apply them to the life I am living. Every day, I am able to block out the background noise and zone in on Him. Every day, I am able to view His never ending love as a privilege and a blessing rather than something that is owed to me. And wow, what a great feeling that is.
This feeling with Adderall is very small scale compared to this feeling with God. However, they make for a good comparison.
You don’t have to take a pill to feel the effects of God. His effects are constant, abundant, and rewarding. He is there, always. He is life changing.
Ephesians 3:17-19 “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lords holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Secondly, these pictures were taken in La Libertad, El Salvador this past summer which brings me to another point.
Here are a few definitions of “liberty” from Merriam-Webster…
- the quality or state of being free
- the power to do as one pleases
- the power of choice
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
I can’t help but cringe when I hear people talk about the “rules and regulations” of being a Christian. There is no greater freedom than the freedom of worshipping God as you please and developing an individualized relationship with Him. There are MANY interpretations of the Bible therefore no one person or religion can claim 100% that they are correct in their interpretation. Liberty is the quality or state of being free and “…where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”. Freedom is the power to do as one pleases, the power of choice. And that is exactly what the Lord does for me, He empowers me to make choices about my life knowing that He has a plan through it all. He knows I will struggle to find my path, he knows I will fear rejection, he knows I will doubt myself, he knows I will be anxious. But God will walk with me through my struggles, my fears, my doubts, and my anxiety. He loves me unconditionally, no rules or regulations attached, except for that of spreading His love to others here on Earth. I know that my relationship with Him is different from others but that is what makes it so special. I also respect the opinions of others and I will not judge or look down upon ideas that are not my own because we all have the LIBERTY to worship as we wish. God provides us with that freedom and we are blessed by it.