You can’t give your kids ‘Normal Pills.’ Experts have told you that the solution to behavioral problems is available in tablet form. You believe your doctor can prescribe a magical concoction that will turn rebellious devils into compliant angels. Even if ‘Normal Pills’ were real, a responsible parent wouldn’t give them to her child.
“John, my child can’t focus in school. He has A.D.D.”
That’s pretty normal. It’s hard to pay attention to boring stuff. When I was in school, ‘Attention Deficit Disorder’ was called, “daydreaming.” It was my go-to behavior during World History class. There wasn’t a prescription for, ‘Love of History.’ There STILL is no such prescription.
The people who make pills don’t know why some kids like History and some kids don’t. So they can’t make medicine to change your child’s preferences. Your child’s behavior is controlled by the same thing that controls your behavior: “Sin.”
We humans are selfish creatures who ‘normally’ spend most of our time thinking about how to indulge our desires. We simply aren’t interested in things that don’t bring us immediate gratification. The only time we’re NOT thinking of ourselves is when we’re asleep.
The people who makes pills DO know how to tranquilize your kids. They also know how to hyper-activate them. Depending on which kind of selfish behavior your kid displays, the prescription will either be for medicine that wakes him up or knocks him out. There are no prescriptions that will make him stop sinning.
“JOHN! Shut up!! You’re not a doctor!!!”
I’m not a doctor but I am a human. And I don’t think my selfishness is abnormal. I’m tempted to blame my awfulness on biology. It would be pretty sweet to live without regard for anyone else and have the people who love me chalk up my abusiveness to a ‘chemical imbalance.’ I could put my family through Hell and they’d blame the doctor for failing me.
But it’s not the doctor’s fault that I’m a despicable sinner. The pharmaceutical companies can’t make me righteous. And…your kid is just like me.
I did NOT say, “It is a sin to have ADHD.” For the record, I don’t think daydreaming or lacking focus is sinful.
My father had bi-polar disorder. I interacted with my dad for decades. I watched him spiral into hyper-active manias that lasted for days. I watched him crash into deep depressions which could last for weeks. There were numerous encounters with psychiatrists, psychologists, police officers, and hospital orderlies. I am familiar with the various medications prescribed to adjust behaviors. Dad’s medications were constantly being adjusted in attempts to ‘stabilize’ his activity.
I don’t recall ever discussing with his doctors what ‘stabilized’ activity should look like.
When Dad’s medication was ‘too low,’ he would go for days without sleeping. When the level of medication was ‘too high,’ he was too weak take himself to the bathroom. But even when he was ‘stabilized’ every behavior he exhibited was attributed to his mental condition. I was told that Dad’s fits of anger, outbursts of tears, forgetfulness, fatigue, anxiety, and even displays of generosity were all symptoms of his disorder. The experts described his whole identity by his illness.
Some people worship medical science. They believe every aspect of the human experience has a chemical explanation. To these folks, there is no such thing as ‘sin.’ There is only behavior in need of medication.
Diabetes is a condition that has a specific definition. There are tests that can tell you if you’re diabetic. The levels of certain chemicals in your body confirm the diagnosis. There is no way to chemically confirm ‘mental illness.’ Nobody can run a blood test to find you’re ADHD (or bi-polar). The diagnosis is based on a patient’s behavior.
It seems to me that biology is a factor in our behavior. But as a Christian, I don’t believe biology is the ONLY thing that determines how we act. What do you think?
Are you quite certain that misbehaving children are chemically imbalanced and not spiritually rebellious? If you’re unsure, who do you think has it all figured out?
“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”
(Galatians 5:16)
