Today I am celebrating and praising God for 15 years in recovery from an eating disorder.  On July 17, 1997, I went to my first in-patient treatment center for anorexia.  It was a long and difficult start on the road to recovery- and I have to say "first" treament center because I did relapse and have to go in-patient again a year of so later.  But that hot, summer day in Arizona was the beginning of an incredible healing story that God chose to work out in my life.  I cannot believe that it was 15 years ago today that it happened.  So much of it is a blur, and yet the feelings are so real.  Today I watched a recovery video that I made 5 years ago when it was the 10th anniversary of my start to recovery.  I looked at the faces of my friends, and was so deeply saddened because some of them were never able to loosen the grasps of their eating disorders, and they have passed away because of the disesases.  Some friends are still struggling greatly, and a few are living awesomely whole and healthy lives.  I do not take one single day of healthy living for granted, as I am sorely aware that many people who struggle with eating disorders will do so their whole lives.  But as I've said before, our God is healer!  He is power and mighty to redeem that which is His and He longs for healing in our broken hearts!  God has healed me and freed me from the snares of anorexia, and for that I am eternally grateful.  May I live my life fully in such a way that God's healing and redemptive power is evident to and possible for all.

I think about the amazing things that have changed in the past 15 years.  One does a lot of growing up between the years of 16 and 31.  A lot!  Being in recovery has made all the difference in the world, too.  Recovery has brought a restoration of family relationships.  It has brought rejoicing in the every day simplicities of food and fun.  And it has shown the redeeming power of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, that all who call on Him will be saved!  As we always said in the AA meetings I attended throughout my high school years, Today I am grateful to be in recovery.  I don't write about this very often on my blog, but I've dug up some past posts about my journey if you're interested.  The one entitled "She's Not Sick Anymore" has the recovery video from 5 years ago.  I know I've said it before, but I will say it again: there is hope, and there is healing in Jesus Christ!

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