Eating Disorder

Q: I have struggled with an anorexia and bulimia for almost five years. I got help and recovered mostly because of God and reaffirming my faith in him. Lately, things have just gone down hill for me. My faith in God has never been stronger, but my dad took a job out of town and I only see him on the weekends and he is the one person besides God who understands me. Also I feel so alone all the time because I don't feel like I have many friends and that no one likes me. My brother went to college and my mom is always at work. I spend most of my day by myself. Because of all of these things I've just been so sad all of the time. The only way I know how to cope with sadness and depression is through anorexia and bulimia, so I've relapsed. I know God doesn't want me to do this to myself, but all I think about is food, calories, fat, and my weight. I have never been this sick in my eating disorder before and I need help but I almost feel like I don't want it. This is the only way I know how to cope with pain. I am miserable and I need to know how I can make my faith even stronger so that I can make myself want to beat this again.





A: It's encouraging to see how God has been at work in your life. Just from reading how you've allowed God to help you through this is awesome. You faith in God is the foundation for which you can overcome any weakness. I just want to let you know that I understand where you are coming from. It is so easy to get worried about how you look that it can consume you. The first thing I want to say is don't beat yourself up. God knows all about your struggle and He's proud of you for letting Him help you for all that time. He knows that you are not perfect and that you'll have times where you stumble. The Bible says in proverbs 24:16 that the righteous falls seven times, but then he gets back up again. Falling isn't the issue. It's if you refuse to get back up is when you are defeated.Another thing that you need to remember is that God doesn't want you to be bound to what your appearance is. You are beautiful just as you are because that is how God made you. He made you in His image and you are special and dear in His sight.I'm sure you heard the story of Job. He went through some hard times even though he was living a life that pleased God. At first it looked like God was just allowing hard times to come on him to see if he would crack. If you look at the end of the story though, God had a special plan for him. God wanted to bless him more and give him a greater life. But he would not have been able to have that if he had not gone through the rough times. God did not put you in this situation to fail. He has a greater plan for you and it requires that you go through a time that you need more of Him. Ask for grace to get back up and that He would give you the friend and accoutability that you need to get through this. He will get you through this, so hang in there.

If you have a question, please email me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com.



Kyle
Xtreme Youth Pastor