Jesus' Mission Statement

Go to any business, school, or place where people gather to conduct business, and you will see a Mission Statement prominently posted for everyone to see. This statement shares with the customer or client- what the focus and intent of the business is. It's usually pretty easy to assess if the business is living up to their statement by the way they interact with you. In Luke 4: 18, we hear Jesus recite His mission statement to us. He says "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind. To set free those who are downtrodden."
This mission statement is intense and dramatic. Who would make these kind of claims unless they were truly able to deliver them? The truth is that Jesus can deliver on His claims. When it comes to the pain of disordered eating- He goes right after it in His mission. When He says that He is sent to release captives, He's talking about those of us who are held captive to the bondage of food, overeating, dieting relentlessly, starving ourselves, purging, and hating the very body we've been blessed with. He set the captive free by retraining our minds to hear His truth, not the lies of the world. When He says that He restores sight to the blind, He's talking about those of us who don't really see ourselves in the mirror, but a distorted reflection of flesh and hatred. He gives us His eyes to view our true self, and to see areas of our life that need cleansing and healing- without the punishing taunt of guilt and failure. When He says that he sets free those who are downtrodden, He's talking about all of us who have dieted ourselves crazy, with the same disappointing results! He's talking about the cycles of throwing up that you want to stop, but can't seem to.
Jesus wouldn't have shared this mission statement over His life if He wasn't fully able to deliver on it. He does set free. He does restore sight. He does lift and retrain the downtrodden! He has a plan for your life that doesn't include the misery of disordered eating. You can count on His words and truth. His mission statement won't fail or forsake you.

Whose voice are we listening to?

In his book When the Enemy Strikes Charles Stanley writes "Never forget the devil's purposes:

• To draw you away from God
• To thwart God's purpose for your life
• To deny the glory of God in your life
• To destroy you in any way he can, including physical health"

The misuse of food is a tool that Satan uses to draw us away from God. As a matter of fact, as long as we're preoccupied with a poor self-image, bizarre eating patterns, and obsession with dieting and purging, we're limited in the freedom and joy we can live out with God. It's not that they can't coexist- it's just that they aren't firing on all cylinders.

God has a lot to say about freedom. His words bring hope, as Paul explains:

It was for freedom that Christ set us free, therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2)

Any voice that opposes God's call to freedom in a believer's life is false. Any voice that stifles hope or mocks the belief that we can live free from bondage is not from God. He is our greatest cheerleader, and He is the provider of our finest victories.

Eating as Community Behavior

Sorry I've been so absent on my blog! I've been traveling nonstop, and finally have been able to sit down and breath... just in time for the holidays! Actually, I love the holidays, and they are even sweeter to me as I live my life free from the pain of overeating, purging, and starving.

Many women I speak to equate the holidays with overeating, or the panic of having to figure out what to eat or not eat. Sweets and treats, parties and functions- all lend themselves the opportunity to enjoy the people, gatherings, and food that we are around, or the opportunity to eat (purge, restrict) to our destruction.
God seemed to have three things in mind when he created our bodies to need food:
1.) We need a variety of foods for our bodies to function well
2.) We have taste buds so that we can enjoy food and the flavors they provide
3.) We can eat in community rather than in isolation and secrecy

Around the holidays we are typically eating in community more than other times of the year. Many women don't eat in front of others, only to binge on food later. Baking becomes disastrous as dozens of treats are consumed before they are wrapped. Those struggling on the anorexic end worry about what they will be served and how they can hide their restrictive habits.

A perfect contrast to this is Jesus' approach to food. He ate when hungry, stopped when satisfied, and loved the community act of sharing a meal together. His good friends Martha, Mary and Lazarus routinely ate meals together and talked. His first miracle was performed at a blow-out wedding where the party would have ended in disgrace if He didn't step in. And some of the most profound words found in the Bible took place at a last supper.

The fuel to disordered eating is secrecy and isolation. So this holiday season, let's enjoy the food and company we have. Let's savor the conversations rather than the plot to get rid of the food later. Let's celebrate the taste buds we have, and the texture of rich conversation and love. It's a delicacy too precious to ignore.