Can you imagine that I began my food freedom journey only 1 year ago and I am 70 years old! (It started when I was in grammar school). Talk about carrying a lot of baggage, my bags were very full! I never discussed this with ANYONE (not friend, family, or counselor), I truly lived in a cage with my disordered eating, body image problems, and people pleasing personality.

You would never guess my issues as I am very happily married to a wonderful man for 49 years, have four wonderful sons and four beautiful grandchildren with one new grandbaby on the way – all who bring me nothing but joy. I had a very successful Nursing career for 45 years and I retired 3 years ago. I have always been a faithful Catholic and Christian woman and participated in many ministries at my church. Like I said, no one would ever know my secret. And to be honest with you I really felt like this was all normal because it's really all I ever knew. I felt very safe in my own cage, but I really wasn’t free at all...

It has been 4 years since God delivered me from disordered eating and shame from past trauma that I experienced as a teenager and young adult. Since then, the freedom has been beyond what I could ask or imagine! But to be honest, I still battle with the temptation to revert to old habits and thought patterns. Through the power of surrendering daily to my Deliverer and Defender, He leads me in triumph for His name's sake! 

 I am encouraged by the words in 1 Peter: 

 "So, prepare your minds for action, be completely sober [in spirit—steadfast, self-disciplined, spiritually and morally alert], fix your hope completely on the grace [of God] that is coming to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. [Live] as obedient children [of God]; do not be conformed to the evil desires which governed you in your ignorance [before you knew the requirements and transforming power of the good news regarding salvation]. But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your conduct [be set a...

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...