ADHD, Feingold, and the gospel

"When they came to Jesus, they saw the man...sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid."  Mark 5:15

This is a post long overdue.  For over a year now, I have documented our Feingold journey in overcoming ADHD symptoms with our youngest son, posting successes and failures, and celebrating the progress he has made.

I have failed, however, to link the gospel to this (sometimes miraculous!) journey.  In no way do I want to ignore it, substitute it, or fail to give God the glory for how it plays into what He is doing in Josiah's life.

In the time of Jesus' ministry, he encountered a man who was possessed by demons.  In fact, there were so many evil spirits dwelling in this man, they gave their name as Legion.  Before he met Jesus the man was unable to control his impulses or even have them controlled by others.  His life was a ruin, and he was injuring both himself and others.  In his encounter with Jesus, Legion was cast into a herd of pigs, leaving the man in his right mind, healed, and able to listen to Jesus and tell others of the things He had done for him.

For some it may be satanic influences, for others alcoholism, drugs, or other addictions, that keep a man or woman from being able to fully apprehend the person of Jesus Christ.  Rather than being drawn to Him, they may mock Him or ignore Him.  Personally encountering Jesus gives power to cast aside those things that command control of lives, allowing for His Person to minister to a life that has been broken by sin. 

For others, like my son, there is something thrust upon their bodies from the outside which they have had no part in choosing.  Not unlike the chemical influence alcohol may have over someone who is drunk, toxins not originally meant for the body to ingest can cause a chemically sensitive child to engage in behavior that truly is beyond their ability to control.  In discovering this connection and removing the offending chemicals in our son's diet, there has been healing. 

Hidden underneath these things is another powerful, more destructive force: the sin nature.  While we treat the root cause of chemical sensitivity with diet, we treat the sin nature with the gospel. 

So in no way do I leave off godly parenting, discipline, or the truth that sin brings consequences when dealing with misbehavior in my son.  We talk about the love of Jesus our Savior, who always pleased God yet took the punishment for our sin on a cross so that we could be close to God rather than be punished ourselves.  There is a constant tension between using diet as a treatment for the body, and the gospel as treatment for the soul.

Without the intervention of diet, my son used to say "Jesus makes me sad."  To him, it seemed impossible to ever control his body in a way that would please the Lord.*  Now, he loves to learn about the Lord Jesus and is growing in his desire to please Him.  When he sins, he may come to Jesus and tell him he is sorry, and then go on in the confidence that he is loved and forgiven.  He can ask Jesus for help to live the way he should.  He reminds me of the man in this passage, sitting at Jesus feet listening to His teaching as a life that is under His control, and living to share with others the testimony of His work.

For what is the greater miracle in this Bible story: casting out demons or the surrender of a soul to the very God he was rebelling against?

Diet is not Josiah's savior; Jesus is.

*That is not to say that using diet is the means to bring such a child to Christ!  I do not know if Josiah has yet learned to trust Jesus as his Savior.  However, diet removed a barrier he was having trouble overcoming in knowing and loving Jesus.  When Jesus heals a life, what joy we have in the barriers He removes in allowing us to overcome sin and separation from God!!