Recipe for Recovery

I know what you are all thinking: someone with anorexia posting a recipe?! Isn't there something a little wrong or strange here?

Well, sure there is. I'm not exactly your biggest fan of eating (not just yet...but everyday sure gets easier!). But this is not your ordinary-everyday-take-out-the-stuff-and-cook recipe. This is the ultimate recipe for recovery, a list of ingredients and instructions that helped me along my journey with anorexia...and what continues to help me day by day. It's super simple, too. Even the worst cook could probably get this one down!

INGREDIENTS
-a cup of prayers
-a tablespoon of hope
-a pinch of determination
-a sprinkle of love

INSTRUCTIONS
1) Mix all ingredients together. Stir well. Expect resistance while you are preparing this dish. It is not easy to make. There will be bumps to overcome along the way. But keep going, keep stirring. Fight all challenges. If you want that yummy meal, you have to work to make it!

2) Eat up! Give yourself a big portion of this scrumptious meal. Recovery is worth it. Make sure, though, that you have ALL the ingredients. Without any one of them, recovery simply will not be the same. It will not be as delicious as it is meant to be. Cherish every bite of it. Recovery is worth it. Even if it tastes bitter at the beginning, keep on going. It will get better as you make your way through it.

And there you have it. Recovery. Only a few ingredients along with very simple steps. But do not be deceived. Recovery is hard work. There is no easy way out. You can't skimp on one ingredient because then you will not go far. You can't try to rush it because then it will not turn out correctly. You must persevere. As the Bible says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). So I know that I need to fight to get through this. And I will keep fighting until I finish my race. Throughout my journey, I will hold on to my faith and keep my loved ones close. I will embrace each new day - each new meal - with the hope and understanding that one day, things will get better.

I will be free, I will live life to the fullest. I will take each moment as it is, knowing that "...that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Romans 8:18). 

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