Where God's Word Meets Our Mess
February 24th - March 1st is Eating Disorder Awareness Week, so I wanted to write this post as a way to raise awareness and share encouragement with you. I know from personal experience how difficult it is to deal with an eating disorder—and to recover from an eating disorder—so I wanted to provide three specific ways that you can help someone who might have an eating disorder.
What do we hope to gain by spending countless hours running, walking, weightlifting, and doing other exercises? What are we trying to achieve by sweating persistently, feeling utterly exhausted, and even permanently injuring our bodies? Are we truly trying to be healthy, (as we claim)? Or are our motives a bit messier than that?
I hate my body. I’ve honestly hated it for years. Nothing is wrong with it—it works perfectly. It's completely healthy. But I still hate it because it doesn't look the way I want it to look. And truth be told, it never will.
Though I may be the exception to the rule, I feel like females constantly worry about their size, starting with adolescence. Facing the mirror with joy (or even minimal satisfaction) is always a challenge. Rarely can a woman say that she loves what she sees. Even when I was underweight and at an unhealthy size as an anorexic, I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror.
Though some people can easily fight lies about their body image, I can’t. Because of my history with an eating disorder, these lies feel incredibly real to me. The devil’s tormenting seems too great to bear sometimes. Unfortunately, I’m often quick to believe his lies because I lack the motivation to fight against them. But this leads me to become depressed and frustrated.
I was listening to Satan's lie that I'd love my body if I followed his orders—his meal plan, his exercise regime, and his sleep schedule. But when I did, I still didn’t love my body.
Well, summertime is quickly approaching. People are firing up their grills, planning family vacations, and shopping for summer apparel, including bikinis. And I thought that it'd be fun to write about bikinis, clothes, and convictions in general. Honestly, you probably won’t find me in a bikini this year. I’ve actually never worn one.
But your height and weight—and every other aspect about your body—were chosen by God. He didn't make a single mistake when He created you, and it's so important to accept His design. Yes, acceptance is easier said than done, but here are a few things that can help you with the process.
Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth 