Thanks to everyone who’s shared their wisdom and experiences on eating disorders. We’re running the training evenings tomorrow and Thursday evening and I’m feeling a bit nervous. I guess it’s one thing telling your own story, but another to suggest ways of helping other people. If you have any spare prayers, I would really appreciate them.
The more I speak with other sufferers and reflect on my own experiences, the more convinced I become that true recovery relies upon Christ. Yes, it’s possible to overcome disordered eating with practical advice and willpower. To reach a healthy bmi and stop drinking too much and stop cutting or overexercising and all the rest. But it takes more than CBT and a can-do attitude to get beyond behaviour. To get your life back, you’ve got to surrender more than your weekends.
On one level that sounds obvious. But though I believe that Jesus saves in a general sense, when it comes to the specifics, it doesn’t seem enough. Perhaps this is part of the foolishness of the gospel. It’s not tangible. Or controllable. It doesn’t make sense.
On the other hand, that’s why it offers hope in every situation. Maybe all I want Jesus to do is help me eat a little more. But for Him, that’s not enough. He wants in on more than my meal-plans. He wants to redeem all of me – the fears and the desires, as well as the body mass.