(1)You are thoroughly equipped with spiritual strength (SOUL FOOD) from God,through His Word, and,
(2) That you have help from professionals before you attempt to help a person struggling with an eating disorder.
- Professional intervention will help you understand that Anorexics and Bulimics are not simply weak-willed, morally deficient, undisciplined gluttons. They are experiencing an illness that requires treatment, not guilt inducing condemnation and punishment.
- Spiritual strength will help you to be gentle in your language, kind and forgiving in your nature. It will help you point people struggling against eating disorders to the Scriptures, for strength to battle and win over eating disorders. Sharing God's Word assures them that God loves them in spite of their failures. Remember, also, that YOU are sinful. In God's eyes there is no difference between your sin and the sin of a person struggling against an eating disorder. It is absolutely level at the foot of the cross. Knowing this places you were people with eating disorders can approach you for help. It places you,"in their shoes" where it is easier for you to relate to them and help them.
YOU NEED TO KNOW that helping a person struggling with an eating disorder borders on the insane. People with eating disorders think and act in ways which do not make sense and are clearly harmful.They think they are fat when they are skin and bones. Their mind constantly tells them how awful they are for starving themselves. They translate everything that is said to them, including compliments or encouragement, into criticism and rejection. Even saying, "I love you" can be translated,"You wouldn't love me if you really knew me." Your frustrations can turn to anger in a quick second if you do not place the person and the illness into God's hands, and make sure that the person struggling against the eating disorder has the best professional help available. God and Professionals can also carry the responsibility and burden you will find hard to bear.
REMEMBER YOU NEED GOD AND PROFESSIONAL HELP: While Christians have much to offer in terms of love, forgiveness and encouragement, if we do not have a medical degree, we are not medically qualified to help a person with an eating disorder. On the other hand, medical personal often do not have the time or the qualifications to transform the soul, where the deep problems lay hidden and hurting.