For us, our faith in God is the cornerstone of living life with ED and BDD.  We know that healing and recovery is possible, but it is a process...a process with many forward and backward steps.  Developing a strong faith and growing relationship with God is an integral process...a life-long process. Our strong faith and trust in God has consistantly brought us peace and comfort through every step of our journey, individually and together.  The love and support of each other...the unbreakable bond of a brother and sister...as well as a caring family, friends and relationships in church, continue to support us through our brightest and darkest days.  

 

We have realized that faith — faith in the better, more emotionally stable life that we hope and pray for — is not just a helpful tool in the healing and recovery process, it is essential.  There is so much peace that comes from knowing that God is bigger than any problem that we will ever face.

 

 

 

 

The journey to healing can be lengthy and is sometimes painful.  An understanding community who will love, support, and pray with you is vital.  Prayer is a key component in your spiritual journey and prayer is the way that the life of God in us is nourished. It's important to remember that there is a strong spiritual component to most eating disorders.  If you are a Christian, you need to bear in mind that the battle is the Lord's.  If you are not yet a believer, we want to encourage you to take this problem, together with all of your hopes, dreams, desires, fears, and heartaches, and lay them at the foot of the cross.  The Bible declares that, through faith in Jesus Christ, you can become an entirely new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).  There is no longer any condemnation for those who put their trust in Him (Romans 8:1).  So cast aside the lies of the enemy and embrace the truth of God's Word. You'll find strength and hope for the journey in the words of Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

 

When you pray, be very intentional.  Sometimes we just need a plan to keep our need for prayer on the forefront of our hearts and minds.  It's been said that if we aim at nothing, we will hit it every time. The same is true for prayer.  If we are aimless in our prayer-life we will pray randomly, at best.  Prayer is the greatest privilege we have, yet it's our greatest neglect.  Important areas of need to cover in prayer are control, fear, identity, clarity, judgments, lies, emotional healing, physical healing, and freedom from ED and BDD.

 

 

 

 

CONTROL.  It is one of the biggest demons that we both fight each and every day.  Control issues, obsessive-compulsive tendencies and perfectionism are highly common in eating disorders and can directly relate to the longevity of your healing process.  To be released from these issues, you must grow in dependence on God.  Healing from an eating disorder can be a scary process because you must learn a new way of life that requires renewed faith each day, with each meal, with each bite of food, every time you look in the mirror. 

Control and fear are intertwined together.  The eating disorder is a form of control used to keep fear at bay.  By minutely controlling food and weight, we feel a sense of power and control over other areas of life.  Pray to be set free from fear and that God's perfect love would replace all fear.  It has been helpful for us to renounce our dependence on control and our ED and BDD.  Pray for a willingness to take risks of stepping out in faith.  Pray for the formation of your true identity in Christ —the recognition of who you were are created to be.  Two questions that are key to identity are 1) am I loved?  and 2) am I lovable?  This second question is especially important because the eating disorder has been used to create a favorable answer to this question.  Pray for God to speak into your heart: Yes, you are lovable because you are His. 

 

 

 

 

In moments of weakness, self-doubt and despair, let these truths and affirmations bring you comfort and peace.

 

* Trust in God despite your circumstances and feelings

* Know that ED and BDD do not define who you are

* Let go of the control and learning to give God the control over your life

* Care about what God thinks of you, not what others think of you

* Know you are loved by God for who you are, not what you do or how you look

* Know your worth in God’s eyes

* Know you will never be perfect but made in God’s image, not the media’s image or anyone else’s

* Turn to God in moments of despair, emptiness and isolation 

* Accept that whatever the problem, God is the perfect solution

* Make your relationship with God your priority