How Jesus changed my Life

As a younger teenager I knew Jesus to be very real in my life, but as I got older, I became very aware of my image and what others thought of me, and became focused on trying to loose weight.

My view of food became disordered, leading to regular bingeing and restricting in my eating. As a result, I pulled back from my dependancy on Jesus. My outlook on life became darker, inwardly focused, spiralling into depression with regular feelings of numbness.

I knew theoretically Jesus could help me, but I didn’t believe it to be true for my situation. I wanted to be in control of my life, and I was scarred to hand it over completely to Jesus. I felt so conflicted and self-condemned, questioning if I could be a real Christian when I was struggling like this. I felt that I couldn’t share this struggle as ‘Christians are supposed to be happy all the time.’ However, I knew I could be very real with Jesus as He already knew everything about me.

I heard an interview on UCB Radio about a young lady who had anorexia and had recovered since attending therapy. I recognised I had a lot of similarities in my situation and realised that I was spiritually starving. After the interview finished, I prayed a simple prayer asking for forgiveness. The next day I experienced a miraculous change in my mind-set: rather than thinking with pleasure of my next binge, I lost the desire. The appealing, addictive side to bingeing had gone.

Isaiah 41:18, Isaiah 54 and John 7:38 encouraged me that Jesus loved me so much and was fighting for me. I felt that God was speaking directly to me and I knew these were the keys to set me free. Now, He has restored my joy, my mental and physical health. I am proud and so thankful for what God has done, knowing it wasn’t something I could do alone.

By being aware of mental health, we can break down the stigma that often prevents people from seeking help and keeps them suffering in silence. Just because someone is a Christian, it doesn’t mean that life does not impact them and their mental health. Every persons story will be unique, but all Christians should feel comfortable seeking support from mental health services because these can be life changing.

Isabelle

Taken with permission from UCB Word for Today Autumn 2021