Where God's Word Meets Our Mess
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. 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 important events happening this month, and I want to celebrate them with you. First, Real Recovery: What Eating Disorder Recovery Actually Looks Like turns one year old on February 22! I'm thankful for everything God has done over the past year with this book, and I'm excited to see what He'll do this year. Second, Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW) lasts from February 27 to March 5. I'm very passionate about helping young women recover from eating disorders, so I'm glad there's a week set aside to raise awareness about them. In honor of these two events, I'm offering a couple freebies. Here's how you can get them.
Let’s rewind a few years, shall we? I know you can remember it. I was a sophomore in high school trying to figure out her college plans, wanting to grow in her writing craft, and internally panicking about what was ahead. I was very involved in church—participating in youth group, Awana, Sunday school, and music ministry. I was taking classes at a local homeschool group alongside other homeschoolers. 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.
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 honestly, my eating disorder took a much bigger toll on my mind, heart, and soul than on my body.
This wasn't an easy post for me to prepare because it describes the death of a young woman due to a severe eating disorder. But her mom, Dr. Lisa L. Billings, demonstrates great courage in transparently discussing her daughter's eating disorder and the sadness that she's experienced as a result of it. This interview may not be easy to read, but it encompasses the weight of human grief—the grief that can be carried by Christ and Christ alone.
I'm so excited to share an episode of The Boundless Show with you today! This podcast is part of Boundless—Focus on the Family's young adult ministry. I recently chatted with host Lisa Anderson during the podcast's "Culture Segment" (which is about 30 minutes into the episode) about eating disorder recovery. I want to thank Lisa for having me on the podcast; I had a blast! To listen to the episode, head over to Boundless! Also, if you want to get a free copy of my book Real Recovery, you can make a donation of any amount to Boundless by clicking this link, which will take you to a Focus on the Family donation page.
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 routine. Yet something doesn’t feel right...you still don’t love your body. And you can't figure out why.
I'm so excited to post the very first video interview on TTT! In this interview, Brittany Braswell (a Christian Registered Dietician) shares her thoughts about eating disorders, body image, and nutrition. If you resonate with what she says, head over to her website!
Hi friends! For today's post, I'm going to share an episode of UncommonTEEN with you! This podcast, hosted by Jamie Kirschner, is dedicated to helping young women understand their God-given identity. I'm thankful to Jamie for letting me tell my eating disorder recovery story on her podcast. To listen to this interview (my first podcast interview ever!), go ahead and click this link!
