Satisfied: A 90-Day Spiritual Journey Toward Food Freedom. By Rhona Epstein
I know the deep courage it may have required to pick up this devotional. As you read these words, I want you to understand how brave you are in taking this very frst step toward freedom.
I haven’t just studied food addiction and recovery; I have lived through it and overcome it.
I know all about the struggle to put one foot in front of the other, one step at a time, toward a life of freedom. I remember the lost hope, the depressing cycle of one failed diet after another, and the inevitability of serious health problems.
I, too, was once in an oppressive, unhealthy relationship with food. Yes, I ate half-gallons of rocky road ice cream, entire boxes of Double Stuf Oreos, and jars of peanut butter while pretending to everyone (including myself ) that I was on a restrictive diet. I exercised like a fanatic. I took pills to lose weight. I tried every gimmick on the market to control my eating, and I failed . . . over and over and over again.
- I didn’t understand that sugar is more addictive than cocaine.
- I didn’t know that the very wiring of my brain made me more vulnerable to food abuse.
- I didn’t realize that food calmed my nerves, much like sedatives soothing angry feelings and lifting sad ones. I didn’t recognize that bingeing was my great escape from reality.
- I didn’t understand that my addiction was physical, emotional, and spiritual.
- I wanted desperately to be healthy, but the food—the sugar—had me, and I couldn’t escape its grip.
My self-esteem was destroyed. I hated myself for not being able to stay on a diet.
My relationships sufered. I slowly pulled away from people, convincing myself that my friends and family felt the same disdain for me that I felt inside. My work sufered. And yes, at my lowest point, I even began to fantasize about checking out of life.
I had lost hope that anything could change. And then the miracle happened: I found help . . . and it was NOT a diet.
Te slow and steady transformation of my mind, my body, and most importantly, my soul—one small step at a time—led me into the lasting freedom promised by the only One truly able to satisfy the longings of my aching heart and soul.
It was a journey that began with the knowledge, wisdom, and grace . I want to encourage you that if I can do it, you certainly can too!
Hope is found in each footstep forward . . .
I want to invite you to take your frst bold steps toward freedom. I want to help transform the way you relate to food, so that it takes its proper place in your life.
Tis struggle is equal parts physical, mental, and spiritual. I hope to equip you with Satisfied practical and time-tested strategies and tools, as well as the spiritual direction, essential to your journey toward freedom from food abuse.
As a follower of Jesus, I believe the path toward transformation begins with your soul, so let’s take our frst steps together with a prayer:
I pray that God will empower you to fnd liberty from food abuse and addiction through His truth. I pray that you will no longer be held captive by obsessive thoughts about food or your unhealthy views of the body God gave you. May the Lord be your strength in your weakness.
May you fnd yourself in a new relationship with Him in which you experience His love in a deeper way than you ever could have imagined. May you truly be flled with the Spirit and no longer held in chains.
I pray that you will feel the presence of God surrounding you, encouraging you, and holding your hand in every step forward. And may God use your transformation to bring freedom into the lives of others. Amen.
