This is a 2-part testimony a young Christian lady, Bethany, posted on Youtube. Bulimic for 5-6 years, she courageously tells her story and unabashedly credits Christ for breaking the chains of that addiction. Please listen to her story (and give grace - she's nervous).
Interesting point of note: at about the halfway mark, she mentions the first time she broke her diet to purge - she got the idea from a TV show calling attention to bulimia. I "got the idea" from an article in Young Miss Magazine, an autobiography written by a former runner entitled "Alive Again". This was in 1982, long before bulimia became a household word - and I was 11 years old.
I have often wondered what would have happened if I had never seen that article.
Lately I have been thinking that the media attention focused on bulimia, cutting, and similar behaviors actually exacerbates the problem - it plants ideas in young people's heads that they might otherwise never have conceived. (Cutting has become quite trendy among the middle school crowd...I doubt that without the media's "help", that fashion would exist). This may be the topic of a future blog post, but for now, rejoice with Bethany in her Savior!
Part 2:
2/20/10
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I'm Bethany from the video. if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach me at my facebook! the link is below.
ReplyDeleteGod bless all of you!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=100000055313877
Thanks for sharing this Maria and Bethany, and praise God for the victory you both have in Christ. It is an interesting observation on how the media influences people's lives, particularly vulnerable children and young adults, often in the wrong direction. Bulimia is definitely an unnatural and learned behavior.
ReplyDeleteLike Maria, my story began well before bulimia was discussed, but my introduction to it was a bit different. While at an overnight party with a bunch of other ninth-grade girls, we partied well into the night ~ the old-fashioned way with rock music, board games, and food ... LOTS of food that teenagers really like. As the evening turned into the wee hours of the morning, I had eaten too much and I knew it.
My best friend at the time told me what she had just done and suggested it to me; that is, eat a little more and then throw up. That was about 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning on a spring day in 1974. What began as a solution to personal gluttony at a party became my way of handling life's challenges.
Again, thanks Maria and Bethany for sharing this; I'm looking forward to Part II.
Hi Anon,
ReplyDeleteActually, this was both parts - I posted Part II of Bethany's testimony here in the same post, then forgot to go back and edit. Mea culpa! I am currently looking for more of these video testimonies to share - the truth must be told; and SEEING someone who has been through it relate how Christ freed her is very powerful.
There are many stories and ongoing losing battles posted on secular sites regarding eating disorders; I want to show the other side: THERE IS FREEDOM IN CHRIST, and we are living proof! My testimony and Bethany's are by no means unique. Christ frees all who come to Him in true repentance from ANY and EVERY sin, no matter how deep-seated it may be.
Thank you for your comment.
~Marie