We serve a big God.  It’s sometimes hard to remember that when I see a broken world around us.  Every one of us has sinned.  Every one of us has failed, has gone through dark dark valleys, fought with guilt, shame, and terror.    That’s why I delight in sharing these stories.  These remind me of the might and power of God despite the weakness of mankind.   These stories remind me of our human inability and the glory of God in changing, transforming a soul from darkness to light.    This  podcast story is no exception to that; this story of my dear precious friend Shannon is one of using over 50 laxatives a day and keeping secrets to freedom, joy, fighting, not giving into temptation, and learning to trust the Lord not herself.  

This is an awesome story because God is awesome.  God has all the power in the world and all the ability to change the human heart that wants to make idols, wants to make gods out of lesser things than worshipping the God of the universe, and God sent His Son Jesus to wash each needy heart, each precious soul that cries out to Him.  

It points me back to this verse.  

1 Peter 2:9, ‘But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:’  

God does miracles. God takes recovery and makes it beautiful even after all the hard parts….
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God is in the business of calling us out of the darkness into His marvelous light.  And Shannon’s story is just that.  It made me smile and my heart just sigh with rest and perfect peace knowing that God does these miracles.  

Shannon is from Texas, and she loves to meal prep and transparently share the struggles she still walks through with anxiety and body image.   Yet, she daily walks trusting in Jesus and trusting in His power through her.   The Lord has enable her to conquer the use of laxatives as a coping mechanism to help her eating disorder along.  The Lord has enabled her to think on lovely things instead of the pervasive bad body image thoughts and guilt that can threaten to overwhelm us.   

On the show today Shannon shared with me her story of:  

Her Fight Against Using Over 50 Laxatives A Day 

The Journey to Weaning Off of the Laxatives

How Someone Special in Her Life was the person God used to confront her on her laxative use 

How she told her parents about her eating disorder and laxative use 

How God provided a dietitian  for her in a miraculous way  

One of her favorite perks in recovery….

Truly, I think you will smile and laugh and be so incredibly encouraged by this episode.  I pray that your heart will be just as uplifted and pointed to Jesus as mine was.  

No matter what I want to keep saying from the bottom, the depths of my heart, something that is hard for me to express on this blog, something that I can’t really put into words, is that Jesus Christ is the only hope.   People try to hope in human beings, but human beings will always fall short.  We aren’t perfect.  We aren’t sinless, but Jesus was and is.  And Jesus won that victory over sin, death, hell, and the condemnation of the law that we could not win.  

Whether you’re struggling with the use of laxatives, excessive exercise, depression, the loss of purpose for your life, restrictive eating, guilt, shame, or anything else Jesus Christ came to set the captives free.   

Hebrews 2:9, ‘But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.’  

My heart is so burdened every day with seeing people who don’t have hope, and I want to spread the good news as far as I can.     

Linking up with Amanda today to share Shannon’s story!

Have you ever struggled with laxatives?  

How did Shannon’s story encourage you?  

Could you relate to keeping your ED a secret but being able to bring it out into the light?   

The post Freedom From Laxatives and Secrets (Shannon’s Story) – Episode 32 appeared first on Beauty In Christ - The Book.