Have you ever had the thought, “If I only could see the big picture, I would be at peace” or “if God would only show me the destination, the path forward would feel so much easier”? I think we have all felt that way at one time or another. High schoolers may feel that way about choosing a college or career path, single people wonder about getting married, and those in recovery long for a timeline and a place of freedom. Inquiring minds want to know, “where are we going? How long will it take? What is the path from here to there? Is that even what I want?” While it is not wrong to want the bigger picture, often that is not how life works. Our human minds yearn for clarity and understanding. We think that if we just had a little more information, it would make all the difference in our journey. God in His love and wisdom knows just the opposite. The truth is our human minds cannot handle a bird’s eye view of our lives.

If God had told me five years ago that I would be leading prayer ...

It was a downright heavy day, and I couldn’t pinpoint why. Nothing in my life seemed overly difficult. I simply couldn’t find an explanation for the heavy feelings of dread, self-loathing, and hopelessness that consumed me out of nowhere. I was sobbing as I grabbed my prayer journal to process this with Jesus.

“Lord, I feel like I’m being full-on attacked through a beratement of lies! I know this isn’t Your truth and it doesn’t even sound like me, so I’m bringing it to You to help me through it. I’m crying because I feel ugly, gross, and unworthy to exist or take up space in the world. I feel I’m a waste, and that no one can stand how large my body has become. I feel like a disappointment to myself, family, my team, and to You. I feel that my husband and family deserve better. It feels like this will never improve. Despite all my recovery efforts, it doesn’t seem to make a difference in my body and I FEEL OVER IT.”

Now, before contacting my team out of concern (and thank you if t...

My family and I recently moved to Florida from Louisiana. Being a prior military family, this is not the first time we have moved to a new state for my husband’s career. In over 20 years of marriage, my husband and I have made ten moves across five states. Six of these moves have included kids. As part of these moves, I have come to love “cleaning out” my house and giving away or donating items we no longer need or use.

When it comes to food, exercise, and my body, my eating disorder mindset of 32 years fights against the “clean out” of the lies it has believed for so long. It tries to convince me that I am safer if I remain in control by adhering to what culture says is acceptable in these areas. Cultural messages that constantly tell me I will find peace and happiness once I attain a certain weight, or keep a certain diet, or pursue a certain exercise plan. It has only been within the last several years when I stumbled across FINDINGbalance and began listening to the Old School F...

If someone had asked me 5 years ago if I would be writing something like this, I would have answered a big "No way!" I never dreamed this would be a part of my life, or my family’s life yet here I am. I’m wondering if any of you reading can relate to that thought as well. So, before I get going just FYI, I am not a writer, but I absolutely love to talk to people, so I am going to imagine that we’re getting together for a coffee or standing around in my kitchen because you know that’s where the conversations happen!

My young adult daughter is currently in recovery from an eating disorder. One that she suffered and struggled with alone for 5 years before a diagnosis, which looking back all the signs were there. The medical community failed her repeatedly. She had multiple injuries as a distance runner that they just could not figure out. When I told her primary care doctor that I thought she had an eating disorder, he told me no she does not, she is just doing too much. What?!!! Look...

Walking toward recovery can be hard on the heart. On the outside, I appeared just like everyone else, going through my day without a second thought. On the inside, it was a completely different story; there was a war being fought- I’m dodging lies, taking thoughts captive, praying, confessing, fighting shame, clinging to truth, and fighting just to stand up and smile. It was exhausting- mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It was challenging work, and each day was more of the same. It can be hard on a heart.

But God, in compassion, never leaves us to walk in the darkness alone.

He was there, fighting right beside me, fighting for me. Every once in a while, He would give me a glimpse of His grace, a tiny peek into what food freedom felt like. It was just enough for me to pick up my battered heart and fight one more day.

I want to share that story, in case you, like me, need the courage to take one more step and fight one more lie.

It was a day just like any other day. I had pl...

Shame is like a smothering cocoon; it seems "safe", and it's not. The only way you can emerge from it is to invite someone else into the space so they can help you break the seal. It shines light into where there was only darkness. And once there is a pinhole from sharing (or confessing, which I honestly believe is a deeper, more intimate action), true healing and transformation can result.

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” -Isaiah 9:2 NIV

I discovered this when I told my husband, after 28 years of marriage, and 32 years of knowing each other, about my past struggles with food & body image. And by making that choice, in 2011, to invite him into that dark, what I thought, ugly space, our relationship deepened and there was more intimacy in our emotional relationship and in our marriage.

I recently lost a friend to an eating disorder. She regularly talked about the guilt & shame she felt over w...

The 2025 Eating Disorders Day of Prayer will be held this Wednesday, February 26th. This event is open to anyone interested in seeking the Lord’s healing and receiving encouragement for recovery from food & body image issues; it’s for those with an eating disorder, their loved ones & friends, and health care providers- anyone interested in praying together.

Prayer and community are a powerful combination! 

At the prayer event, we have brief introductions, followed by prayer; some pray out loud, and some pray silently. It’s wonderful to bask in the prayers of others!

The prayer time is guided by the A.C.T.S. format (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication). This structure can be an effective way to organize our thoughts and requests. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

- Adoration/Attributes: Praising God helps remind us of who He is. Each time I praise Him for His attributes, my frustrations and worries are eclipsed by His greatness. God is greater than our circumsta...

Have you ever been in a season of life where your prayers turn into pleas?

In my own life, I’m in that place right now.

I fall asleep every night, reminding God that it’s completely in the realm of possibility for me to wake up tomorrow and for this entire situation to be behind me. Whether it is a prolonged illness, a painful situation, or a bumpy road to recovery, life can be hard.

Many times, in my recovery, I have prayed, “Lord, where are you? You could so quickly fix everything! What is the point of prolonging this?”

The challenge in our hearts then becomes real. We know that God cares deeply about our pain. We know that He is fully capable of changing things in an instant. And yet, He’s not doing that.

How do we process this?

We process it with HIM.

Friends, our Father is not afraid of the hard questions. He wants them. He longs for them, because only when you are real to Him can He be real to you. And there is nothing He wants more than to hold you close and walk with ...

In 2011, at a FINDINGbalance event in Colorado, my wife went to be filled with God’s truth; I went there to fly fish. Late one night, as we shared about our day apart, my wife opened up about her struggles with battling an eating disorder, disordered eating, and over-exercising since the age of 18. I had been clueless; I saw no red flags.

While that night was hard for both of us, I believe it was the first and most critical step of my wife's healing journey; that conversation gave me permission to check in with her to see how she was doing with food. Simple questions of how she was feeling and how I could help or what I could do. This shared struggle has led to deeper, more meaningful conversations throughout our 40-year marriage.

It also opened my eyes to be more observant of tell-tale signs that she might be struggling; stepping on the scale, body-checking in mirrors, asking for my opinion of how she looked, or skipping meals (I’m the chef in the family, so this one I notice). I...

Many of us struggle to keep up with the crazy pace of life’s demands. Our to-do lists are long...commitments, people, and duties seem to insist on having our attention all at once. We are responsible for meeting our own basic needs, like nourishing our bodies and moving in ways that help us thrive. And we often get sucked into a hustle culture that deceives us into believing we must perform and achieve to please God (even when, deep down, we know that isn’t true).

Without realizing it, things become out of balance, broken, and debilitated. We make our best attempts to thrive in chaos while operating at elusive speeds to the point of breakdown.

God adores spending time with us. And while He does desire our best, He knows our best requires rest and time with Him.

Our souls are healed through union with Christ.

“Shalom”, the Hebrew word for peace, means “to bring peace”, “to make things as they should be”, or “to be complete/whole/restored.”

“Jesus, I want you to make me whole aga...