Once a Week a Year.

Hello and happy new week to all!

I hope all of you had either a busy fun weekend, or a slow relaxing weekend. Over here in the Jackson Village, we once again had a busy weekend! It was filled with shopping in town, birthday parties, hiking, and Les Miserables.

First thing is first, not a big fan of the movie, but I will not go any further into that, because I have been told over and over again that I am a film snob. (Which I personally have learned to fully embrace.) Yes, I am one of those terrible people that has an opinion about EVERY film ever made. What can I say, film classes and having an English degree has forever made me a film snob.

We celebrated Kathleen’s and Darci’s birthdays! We had a slew of people come to celebrate with ice cream cake and pizza. We ended the weekend with a hike up a TALL mountain! It was great.

The purpose of this post however is not to talk about my weekend, this week is “Eating Disorder Awareness Week.”

Many of you might be wondering what this has to do with being out here in Africa, some may be wondering all together exactly what this week all entails.

This week, as like what the title says, is a week to bring awareness to the destruction of eating disorders. What I am going to write is my opinion, my take of eating disorders, and nothing based on studies and science.Again, it is my personal opinion, I apologize if you are angered by this, or if you disagree. This is what I think, and that is that. Okay.

The issue of Body-Image has been around forever. We see all the way back in the 1950s when Marilyn Monroe stepped out onto the screen, the image of having the perfect body and achieving that image has been around. However, my generation, and the generations after me have been poisoned. Yes, eating disorders have been around for some time, but one thing that is happening these days, is that more and more young girls and boys are turning to eating disorders to hide past pain, and resorting to the disorder as the only option to achieve the perfect body. We see ads on the television, we see pictures in magazines, we watch movies, shows, surf the internet, and we are surrounded by beautiful sized zero models and actresses. Many girls and boys become stressed out because they feel they can never achieve an image like that. These models and actresses send out this image that because they are this tiny, they are always happy, they are always confident, everything goes their way. Many people thrive to feel that, they want to be viewed as a beautiful, flawless, perfect, human being.

Some have so much hurt and self hatred towards themselves, they feel like the only way to cover up all the pain, is to feel empty. To feel the hunger feeling or to feel that full feeling, so they do not have to think and dwell on all of their problems and emotions. It is an easy escape to take the focus off the real hurt.

All of these problems have one thing in common, it is all about "ME".

The body-image issue is a disease where one dwells on themselves, and how they are seen by others. Some people say it is a mental illness, well then, it is a mental illness that dwells on yourself, and how you are seen by others. It is a self focus where you focus on the imperfections and the ugliness.

The reason I am taking time to write this is to bring awareness to all of those who are in the church. Yes, you may have never thought about this fact before, but there are people in the church who battle with eating disorders. There are those who are chained to this disorder. I personally feel that so many churches and Christian Universities overlooking this DEADLY issue.

We all know as believers in Christ that we are to think of our bodies as temples, and to treat it with respect. We know as believers in Christ that we are not to live this life focused on ourselves. We are to live this life for Christ and to reach out to those who do not know him. We are to walk by faith, not by sight.

Having an eating disorder contradicts everything that Christ stands for. Eating disorders, and many addictions and everything that contradicts what Christ stands for is a sin. Satan has entered into the minds of those who have low self-esteem, those who have an eating disorder, and whispers nothing but lies into their minds. One can stand in front of the mirror, see layers, and layers of fat hanging on their body...when in reality, they are 100 pounds with little to no fat on their body. Satan enters into vulnerable minds, and destroys. People, there are people today in the church who are hurting, who are in the grasps of an eating disorder. They know that this is a sin, and they know that they are living this destructive life that is far from what God desires for them. This is an issue.

Many times young and older people are sent away to treatment centers to heal from their eating disorder. That is a major accomplishment, to be able to acknowledge that this disorder exists, and to want to seek help to no longer be controlled by this deadly disorder. I think it is a major accomplishment, however, the one problem I have with this is that many of the treatment centers are still focused on the self. They send people to counselors to work on the issue, they set them up with a dietician, and they can participate with other areas to seek healing. Many people go in and out of treatment; they relapse, which is usually always expected. The one issue is that there is no focus on the only and true way to achieve healing, which is in Christ. We are broken, sinful people who can only seek healing, and can only find true joy in Christ. This in my opinion is an issue in the church, it has been overlooked. 

People, this week, be in prayer for those who battle with eating disorders. It is a deadly, obsessive disorder that destroys and tears one apart. God has plans for us, if we allow him to take full control of our lives; he will lead us down a road we never expected. Eating disorders prevent from that ever happening; they prevent one from ever becoming the person that they are to be. Pray for those believers and non believers all around the world who are trapped, and who see no way out. Pray for all of those currently in treatment, pray for those who are about to enter into treatment, that they would seek Christ for healing, that they would find their strength to overcome this disorder in Christ. Be in prayer that Christ would shatter the chains that people have to their eating disorder. Pray for those who do not have faith in Christ, that they would find him, and find COMPLETE healing in HIM.

Eating disorders are very different from person to person, but they all have one thing in common: they kill.

Pray.  

Thank you for reading my thoughts.

Hope you have a good week.

-Sarah