Beautiful Testimony from a Co-Laborer for the Gospel

Last month, I spoke at two women's "Rejuvenate!" conferences in New Hampshire, at Monadnock Bible Conference Center. Following my workshop presentation, "God'S Solution to Eating Disorders: Total Transformation", I was available to speak to women who wished to share their experiences with me. I also sold a number of copies of "Redeemed from the Pit". Imagine my surprise last week, when I received the following e-mail from another one of the conference speakers!

"Dear Marie,

I finished reading your book about two weeks ago and I wanted to write to you and let you know how the Lord has used it in my life personally. The providence of God is truly amazing – the Lord knew I needed to hear you speak that first weekend of the women’s conferences at MBC and that I needed to read your book. You see, I have really been struggling with “disordered eating” for some time now. I haven’t been technically “bulimic”, but aside from throwing up, I was finding myself fasting or exercising a lot to make up for what I ate the day before (which I realized was just another way of “purging”).

I realized that weekend that I heard you speak that I really had a problem and just didn’t want to admit it. The Lord really convicted me of the idolatry in my heart and the battle with sin that this was. The past few weeks have been hard, the next few months will still be hard I know, the progress of transforming my mind seems so slow and I fail more than I’d like, but God has been so good, so gracious and I trust that He will continue to sanctify and change me. When I finished your book I discovered I had Elyse Fizpatrick’s Idols of the Heart on my “to read” bookshelf and thought – wow God knew I needed that next! But I LOVED your book. It was so solid Biblically, so clear on what the real issue is (sin!) and so powerful with the hope of the Gospel and our position in Christ! That is one of the biggest things He’s taught me over the past 2 years, my position in Christ, and it was so great to be encouraged by that more!

So anyway Marie, I just wanted to write and say thank you so much for sharing your story, for writing this book and for speaking, counseling and ministering to so many women! It has been helpful to me and I am sure God will use it to convict, counsel and direct other women towards Christ and freedom from these addictions.

Many blessings in Christ,"
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A Testimonial: How Biblical Counseling Helped a Woman Struggling with Bulimia (Courtesy of the Biblical Counseling Coalition)

Folks,

From the very beginning, my blog has served as a platform to share hope: specifically, hope that one can be fully and irrevocably free from eating disorders, through the Lord Jesus Christ. It was through His grace and power that I myself was set free from bulimia back in 2003, and my book, "Redeemed from the Pit", lays out the process of repentance. I have shared the testimonies of others before here on this blog, as well as posted articles about biblical counseling (and how it differs from psychology-based counseling). This summer, the BBC blog  published an anonymous testimony from a woman who had been greatly helped by biblical counseling and also overcame her bondage to bulimia. I find her story very inspiring, as well as informative. Women like her are the reason I pursued certification as a biblical counselor, and now have the privilege of opening the Scriptures to them in the counseling office.

If you are struggling with anorexia, bulimia, or any food-related bondage, please read her story prayerfully. Be encouraged that with God, all things are possible.....and Christ's words as recorded in Matthew, "I am willing. Be clean!" are as applicable to you and me as they were to that first century leper.

Here is her story....

An All-Consuming Desire

Sin takes you further than you want to go and keeps you longer than you want to stay. At the age of fourteen, my desire for approval and affirmation manifested itself in the beginning of an eight-and-a-half-year battle with bulimia. The desire to lose weight became the driving force of my life as I was willing to go to any lengths to get it.

My heart’s desires were evident in my behaviors. Binging and purging, counting calories, obsessing about my size and weight were all outward manifestations of a heart that was insecure, fearful of others, and longed for comfort from life’s circumstances. My security, confidence, and surety as a person waivered. When I was fearful of others’ opinions or desired to gain their approval by a “thinner” appearance, I would flee to binging and purging. When the circumstances of life brought pressure, heartache, and pain, binging and purging became my comfort.

Read the rest of her testimony here at the Biblical Counseling Coalition blog. To God be all the glory!