Please don’t miss the heart of this amazing woman. Yes, you can see the physical difference, but oh my goodness. Her pure heart for the Lord is completely transformed because of HIM! I love when the physical appearance is just an outward showing of what God has done on the inside. That’s what I’m all about – transformations from the inside out. Destiny, you are a blessing in my life. Now…enjoy her story in her words.
Eight years ago, I was in a great place physically & spiritually when my whole world fell apart. My oldest daughter was about to graduate when her boyfriend told me she had an eating disorder, which turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg of a severe mental illness. We endured 10+ hospital stays over the next few years amidst bankruptcy, foreclosure, job losses. Needless to say, it was a severe testing of my faith. While waiting on my daughter to complete daily treatments, I found myself searching God’s Word, and that was when Job 23:9 became my life verse:
“When I look to the north, I do not see Him; when I turn to the south, I catch no glimpse of Him, but He knows my path and when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”
You see…I had mainly lived my adult life “doing the right thing.” I homeschooled my kids, I went to church, I read Christian books, and I listened to Christian music. But somehow in the process, I built a wall around myself and my family, and when that false wall of security came crumbling down, it shook my faith to my core.
I also gained back all my lost weight and then some. I was also battling my fibromyalgia harder than before. My workouts were now a source of guilt.
Was my weight loss responsible for her downward spiral?
How could I do something that my daughter had used to abuse her body?
Then, I came across Michelle’s book, The Look that Kills: An Anorexic’s Addiction to Control. I read it in one day. For the first time, God was able to show me I wasn’t responsible for my daughter’s illness. And while she had used exercise and nutrition as a destructive tool, I could still use it as a healthy tool. It seems silly that I couldn’t see it at the time, but this ugly world misuses many of things that God created for good.
And so began my journey back to health when I joined the Myers Cross Training community. This group was the spiritual encouragement I had been longing for. God has used her ministry to tear down walls that have been up way too long.
It’s now been a year since I joined Michelle, and I’ve lost 36 pounds! And although fibromyalgia will always be a part of my life, it is no longer the boss of my life! I am able to hike and run again. At the worst of my illness, I honestly believed I would never run again. I can only run short distances right now, but the future is full of new goals and accomplishments. In the beginning, I couldn’t run through one song now I can run through 6! Even more than the fitness victories, God is working on my heart. He is continually reminding me of who I am in Him, and to take this journey one day at a time.
I’m still a work in progress. There is a broadcast that my mind defaults to, a continuous loop of condemnation whose main theme can be summed up in two words….NEVER ENOUGH. Not pretty, smart, brave, thin, athletic, funny, interesting, cool, intelligent, or successful enough. Not a good enough wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend..
But thankfully, God created in me a dial that allows me to choose to change the channel. His broadcast that reminds me that I am His and I am greatly loved. My name is written on the palm of His hand, and He knows every hair on my head. He created me to do good works, and He rejoices over me with singing. He has a good plan for my life. He can work all things in my life out for good (even the hardest ones) if I trust HIm. He forgives and forgets ALL of my sins when I give them over to Him, and He never condemns me. He will strengthen and help me. And best of all, He will never leave me or forsake me.
So no matter how you feel, trust the One who created you. Don’t hesitate to ask for His help every step of the way. And don’t shy away from groups like these as I did. God has placed people in our paths to encourage us and build us up, but we have to take that first scary step. Just wait and see what He has in store for you!
Interested in joining the Myers Cross Training Community? Watch the video below, and request info here!
