To Medicate or Not? That is the Question.

Posted by AngelaP | 0 comments

“No, not medication!” I thought over and over again in my mind. I could not believe it finally came to the point that my daughter would need medication to help with her ADHD, impulse control, and OCD issues. I am not sure why it seemed like a huge ordeal in the first place? Possibly because of all the bad side effects you hear about from medication. Also maybe because as Christians sometimes we are guilty of saying things about medication like we are lacking faith for God to heal a situation. All of this and more made it a really hard struggle for me in deciding to medicate.

Mothers are so tempted to feel guilt for so many things. What if this hurts my child? What if I ruin her? What if damage occurs that cannot be reversed? All of these “what ifs” come to mind however the messy thing about “what ifs” is they never have happened. We worry about things that may never come to pass. This world has too many troubles in it to worry about the “what ifs.” Of course it is wise to weigh out the pro’s and con’s but leave them as that not as temptation to worry.

Basically it boiled down to a faith decision. As I parent these children by faith I wait and trust God for the outcome, as a farmer sows good seed and tends to it he must only wait and watch for the harvest to come. This is parenting. We have to trust and wait. As we wait we tend, prune, and water. We have an active part in this journey as we trust God to do His part.

My child belongs to God ultimately. I am just a steward of her for this time. Perhaps that is why my husband and I take this job so seriously. Because our child belongs to God first, prayer is where we start for decisions like these. The use of medicine for conditions like ADHD is not in the Bible. However, principles are in there that can apply. God gave men sense to put together things He created to help our bodies in this fallen world. And in this situation God gave me a peace to medicate for this situation. We are to take it one day at a time. Things change on the journey but for now this is where we stand.

So far we have seen a calmer child. No ill side effects. This child has a clearer mind to think and act. She even has been confessing more sin to me. When I ask her why she says because her mind works better. Before it was chaotic, now it is clear. Isn’t that what God would desire for us? He wants us to have a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

Now I must say medication is not for everybody. It is a hard decision to make. It can only be made through much prayer and guidance from our Heavenly Father. He is the One and only who can give us wisdom in each unique situation for each unique child. I am hopeful that my story may encourage anyone out there struggling with this same issue.

Angela Parsley, of the international ministry Refresh My Soul Ministries, is a wife and homeschooling mother to her 2 young daughters. Angela is also a contributing author to a devotional book entitled, “Standing on the Promises of God” and Radical Revolution, a devotional site for teen girls through Proverbs 31 Ministries.