Stories of Freedom

These are real stories of healing and freedom from overeating through Christ-centered recovery.

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A New Year, Stronger in Faith and Recovery

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Today is the first Saturday of 2026. I was very thankful that Reshape and Recover had a meeting today. The content of our meetings, the Bible verses presented and discussed, the affirmation that I am not alone helps springboard me into the days ahead!

 

My spouse complimented me recently about how proud he is of me pushing away from the “treats and sweets”. I thought that was pretty cool! The best part, I recognize how much better I feel! I am not so sleepy during the day, and I have a lot more energy! Thank you to our group and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

 

I must digress for a moment.  I was talking to a member of Reshape and Recover before I joined who shared her success as a member of this amazing group. Topic, you ask. My husband, the Great and Powerful Cookie and Candy Monster! I was saying to her, he is constantly bringing junk food into this house and how frustrated I was that I was participating in the treats! She concurred shaking her head in understanding…..I suspected she is married to my husband’s brother! She turned, looked at me and said, “it is not his fault’!  She went on to say, how wonderful this group is and the power of our God in her choices and the strength HE gives her every day to be successful! I was hooked. How could I lose with God on my team!

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Interestingly, in today’s meeting I heard the word "powerless".   It made me think that while that feeling may hang around me for the rest of my life, this program, the members and support of Julie and Tony have helped to lessen the significance of feeling powerless. Not only in my eating habits, but in my thought process too. I always prayed but diving into God’s Word and making it a significant part of my day-to-day life has been a blessing.  I may fall sometimes, but I am not as ashamed and disappointed as much anymore as you all have made me realize God loves me and I am forgiven!  Thank you for being there for me!

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Sharon, Arizona

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My Journey - 15 Dec 2025: “God makes everything beautiful in His time.”

 

My journey started when I was just 15 years old. It is now 45 years later and I turned 60 years old in February this year.

 

Despite the many years of the struggle with disordered eating, God has taken me on an incredible path of recovery and I am very grateful that He never gave up on me.

 

I would need to write a book to adequately describe my journey to recovery and so will simply testify that “All things are truly possible – In His power.”

 

Through personal family circumstances during the year I came to a complete breaking point in my life. The pain I went through triggered my old patterns of running to food for comfort which I had lived relatively free of for many years.

 

Despite the level of healing I had walked in, I still ate sugar occasionally and would need to fast to break the cycle of addiction that would grab hold of me.

 

I found Reshape and Recover online and with Julie’s support and the accountability of the ministry I have been able to walk free and be abstinent since 01 September 2025.

 

You may say, that isn’t very long but let me explain the difference this time.

 

Since the age of 15 years old, I stopped eating and began a cycle of eating and starving for the next 45 years. I ranged between anorexia, bulimia and compulsive overeating.

 

I always had to fast to try and keep my weight down. I wasn’t able to do this by eating food.

 

For the last 100 odd days I have eaten three meals a day almost every one of these meals. I no longer eat while watching TV, reading or working.

 

There is something very significant that God has done within me and I am no longer obsessed with losing weight nor do I even think about my weight anymore.  

 

He has shown me that this obsession I lived with all these years was my rejection of the body He gave me and this was actually the idol of self.

 

Food has finally been put in the place God designed it to be.  I now eat to live instead of living to eat.

 

I have lost a lot of body fat by eating within the boundaries of my abstinence and my clothes are very loose on me. I feel light and wonderful both physically and spiritually.

My family are truly astounded to have me eating amazing meals every day and no longer fasting for extensive periods. This is something I never really thought was possible for me.

 

It is a phenomenal healing that I have received and I give God all the glory.

 

When friends ask questions or show offence because I am not eating their food , I explain it to them like this. I tell them that it is similar to being in the garden of Eden.

 

I can eat all the food that God has provided in this garden except from this one tree. On this tree is a sign that says “Foods that are No Good for Gill…” And so I choose to abstain.

 

I do not feel as if I am missing out , instead this is my freedom and it is something I choose to do for my mental and spiritual health.

 

I am in such awe of Gods power and feel like a bird that has been let out of its cage and it is only now learning that it was always meant to fly.

 

“God makes everything beautiful in His time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

 

Gill
Cape Town, South Africa