An Encouragement on this Resurrection Sunday...

This morning, I received the following note in my inbox:

Sister,


I read your story on ChristianStoriesOnline. I was looking for a testimonial on bulimics whose closest family and friends don't even know about their disorder (like myself, all through my post-anorexia years in high school and college, before Jesus started wrecking my life for the better... or before I started letting Him ;). I'm writing a paper for my psych class I'm taking right now.


I just wanted to know that I was encouraged and enheartened to hear the way our Lord has delivered and healed you and walked with you and held your heart through your years of struggle. Reading large parts of your story sounded so much like my story... I was encouraged that I AM NOT ALONE IN THIS! It is by His grace that I am alive today, and by His power and love that I have experienced all the deliverance and healing that I have, and I still am amazed by the joy of His love, even in the hard times.

I just wanted to thank you for your boldness in sharing your story. And your honesty about everything, as well as the truth that the battle will wage on and there will be times of struggle, as long as we are on this earth. But praise God, we have no shame or guilt in Him! You know the depth of meaning that has for us -- I was crippled by shame over my disorder for so many years -- but He looks on us and sees Jesus's righteousness. We are dearly loved daughters of the Creator of All, and in His hands, there is nothing to fear, only love to accept and life to surrender.


I hope your Easter is a joyous reminder of the gift we have in Him. He is risen! And we are being made new.


Grace and Peace,

"C"

Repentance and trusting in Christ to change us (which presupposes a committment to obey Him), truly is the key to victory over this sin of bulimia. Praise God for the captives He is setting free, such as this writer!

From My Inbox...

I hope this heart-felt letter from a reader blesses you as much as it did me:

Subject: I Love Your Blog!

Hello Marie,
I came across your blog while searching for testimonies of Christians who have been set free from the bondage of bulimia. I loved reading the few entries I have so far. Your story gives me hope, and your perspective is (refreshingly) Biblically sound.

I have been struggling for 13 years now with bulimia. I developed anorexia at the age of 15, gained some weight back to please concerned people, and then quickly became addicted to the binge/purge cycle. I was in secular counseling for years, along with residential treatment on various occasions as a teenager. I learned tools to cope with emotions, but nothing that worldly psychology had to offer penetrated to the core of the problem. I always resorted back to eating disordered behaviors after leaving treatment. The longest I've gone (apart from treatment centers) binge and purge free has been three months. I white-knuckle it through intense cravings to binge on most days. It feels like I am merely controlling my behaviors; my mind is still enslaved to rigid thoughts about food, image and exercise. I have been married to an amazing, Godly husband for almost two years now, and I am desperate to be set free in my mind and (subsequently) in my behavior! My bulimia hurts my marriage and prevents me from having an intimate relationship with God. I've been a believer in Jesus for 10 years, but live a defeated Christian life due to my idol worship of food. I am a perfectionist and have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety. The world tells me that I will never fully recover. I refuse to believe this.

I would appreciate any counsel you have to offer. Thank you for promising to pray for me. I am feeling particularly discouraged today. I so badly want to be walking in freedom, but seem to be unwilling to endure the discomfort of life without the numbing effect of binge eating. I truly cannot do this on my own, and I don't know how to fully surrender it to God.
Thanks for listening/reading,

(Name Withheld)