Where God's Word Meets Our Mess
Oh, how I hate looking in the mirror. I hate being around skinny girls. I hate going clothes shopping. And I hate stepping on the scale. Why? Because I don't like my body. Honestly, I haven't for a very long time. Nothing is wrong with it—it works perfectly fine and is completely healthy. Yet it's still so hard to accept the body I have. But isn't that just part of womanhood?
For today's post (which falls during Eating Disorders Awareness Week), I'm sharing an episode from the BRAVE Podcast, where I recently appeared to talk about my journey through anorexia and recovery and how it impacted my relationship with God. The BRAVE Podcast is part of FCA{Brave}, which is a specific ministry of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. BRAVE stands for "Bold, Redeemed, Annointed, Victorious, and Eternal." It's geared toward athletes in middle school, high school, and college. You can check out this podcast episode by clicking here! Can't wait for you to listen! Special thanks to Amber + Kirstin for having me on the podcast.
This post was written by Jennifer Smith Lane, the author of Transformed: Eating and Body Image Renewal God's Way. I'm sharing Jennifer's story this week as we approach Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW). Her story is raw and real, but it's also full of hope. If you're struggling with an eating disorder or you know someone who's struggling with an eating disorder, this account will both convict and uplift.
Happy February! There are a couple super important events coming up this month, and I want to celebrate them with you. In preparation and celebration of these two events, I'm offering a couple fun freebies. Here's how you can get them.
Dear Ed, let’s rewind a few years, shall we? I know you can remember it. I was 16 years old—a junior in high school trying to figure out her college plans, wanting to grow in her writing craft, and internally panicking about what was ahead. And even though I wasn’t exactly sure how I would get there, I knew that I wanted to be a published author. It had really been my only dream since I was a little girl. But you were willing to do anything and everything to make sure that that dream didn’t become a reality.
Everyone has a unique eating disorder recovery journey, which is something that I had to come to terms with earlier in my own recovery journey. I wanted my recovery—particularly my mental, emotional, and spiritual recovery—to be fast. But it wasn’t. My physical recovery was fairly quick, but it has taken (not took, but has taken) years for me to recover mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Because my eating disorder took a much bigger toll on my mind, heart, and soul than on my body, honestly.
One of my goals at TTT is to share encouraging content with you, and that is certainly my goal for today's post. This wasn't an easy post for me to prepare because it involves the death of a young woman due to a severe eating disorder. However, her mom, Dr. Lisa L. Billings, demonstrates great courage in transparently discussing her daughter's eating disorder and the sadness that she has experienced as a result of it. Not only do I want this post to be an encouraging reminder to unconditionally love those in your life who are battling an eating disorder, but I also want this post to be an encouraging reminder that because of Jesus' suffering and death, we can find purpose in our deepest sadness. He wants to draw us near, friends.
Hi y'all, I'm super excited to share a podcast link with you for today's post! It's for The Boundless Show! This podcast is part of Boundless, a young adult ministry of Focus on the Family. For the Culture Segment of this podcast (which is about 30 minutes into this episode, wink wink), I discuss my journey through anorexia and my journey through recovery with host Lisa Anderson. From a typical day in the life of an anorexic to my current relationship with food, we covered a variety of eating disorder- and recovery-related topics.
You did it. You finally lost that weight. You finally ran that marathon. You finally gave up sugar for a month. You finally fit into your dream size. You finally mastered that workout. And yet something doesn't feel right. You still don't love your body. "So," you ask yourself, "since I don't love my body after I've done all this, when will I love my body?" The answer to that question may initially disappoint you, but I hope you'll find freedom in it.
Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth 