As you may know, I’m not in NYC right now. I’m filming a project out of the city, and am so grateful to be able to pursue my dreams. (I’m an actor)
The show I’m working on has a good sized cast. And if you haven’t worked in the entertainment industry, people get close — fast. You bond. Become fast friends. You literally spend 12+ hours on set together every day: working, rehearsing, hanging out when you’re not on, eating together, getting ready together – they’re not kidding when they say you become a family.
So you get to know everyone.
And here’s what I’ve come to find:
Everyone has a story.
Every single person has had some event in their past that has shaped their life: Cancer. The death of a sibling or parent. Being adopted. Homelessness. Abuse. A life altering diagnosis. An eating disorder.
Every single person that you meet, no matter how “put together” they may seem, has something in their past that has greatly impacted who they are today. And I’m not talking about winning the lottery. It is usually something that has been painful.
This is your story. You are living it. You are going through it. And you will come out the other side braver, and wiser, and with an assurance and depth to you that can only be achieved by overcoming this adversity.
This is your story. And you need to claim it. Own it.
Because your overcoming this disease — that victory will inspire others. It will offer hope and encouragement. So don’t ever be ashamed of it. Was it a painful period? Yes. But your triumph over an eating disorder that could have taken your life is something that should truly be celebrated.
Let me be one-hundred-and-fifty-percent clear: I am not saying that the eating disorder itself should be celebrated. No. Not at all. I’m saying that the fact that you’ve chosen life — that you’ve chosen recovery and have overcome the darkness — that should be celebrated.
And here’s the final thing I’ve learned recently:
Everyone’s story includes brokenness.
We are all broken.
We all have things in our past that have left scars, or holes in our hearts that we’ve tried to fill unsuccessfully with different things — money, power, alcohol, sex, designer shoes, a perpetual state of being busy, drugs, success, an eating disorder — all these things that we try to fill that void with, can never and will never be able to.
Why?
Because there is only one thing that can fill it.
The common theme among everyone for what was “filling” their void was “spirituality.” — “Finding peace through meditation.” “The power of envisioning.” “A zen meditation retreat.”
Okay, those are all great and good. Sure, finding a respite from the chaos is wonderful. But they’re all missing one thing:
God.
I don’t care how “zen” that retreat is — how many sun salutations you do, or “power of positive thinking” books you read — they will always fall short, because they’re missing the only thing that can truly bring you peace: God.
And I never want to be preachy, so I’m going to just keep this short.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He refreshes my soul.
“Spirituality” is missing something:
<3 LOVE. <3 God loves you back.
Yoga is wonderful. Meditating is beautiful. Positive thinking and Envisioning your future are terrific motivators. But they cannot mend the brokenness. They cannot fill that hole inside that you’ve tried and tried and tried to fill with this and that. Because at the end of the day, it’s just you. You open your eyes from the meditation or shavasana, and it’s just you. You’re still alone. Momentary peace, yes. But here’s the thing:
God loves you back. And loves you through your brokenness. And loves you in spite of your brokenness. And loves you because of your brokenness.
And lastly, with Him, you are never alone.
Your story is yours. You are not a failure because of an eating disorder. You are not a disappointment or a lost cause. You are not disqualified from love because of it. No. You are a warrior for rising up from the ashes and reclaiming your life.
You don’t have to do it alone. You’re not abandoned. God will see you through. Because He loves you.
The question is, will you let Him?
33 responses to “Everyone Has A Story”
Love this! So uplifting and motivating! Faith in God is really important in my life too. Thanks!
thank you so much, dear:) I really appreciate your encouragement and support. blessings to you 😀
Great post. I have a friend who’s been helping me to grow my relationship with God. Between her and your posts, I feel like I understand things a lot more.
I’ve been in a bad place the past few days, relapsing with self-harm and not being sure if I should even quit. But today, I kind of realized I need to give God the control. I just decided I can’t do this without Him (not that I was trying to in the past, my faith just wasn’t super strong). This post came at a great time for me. Thank you.
Thank you so much. I’m glad that you’re finding hope here. You’re right-He will get you through this. The good news is that God is always there and will always comfort His children:) thanks for stopping by. Praying for you on your recovery journey. I believe in you xoxo
Thank you, I appreciate that.
This is so ture. I majored in journalism in college and that helped make me totally aware that everyone has such an amazing story — no matter how small they think it is. And everyone’s story is completely fascinating and WORTH telling.
You’re right. It is WORTH telling. Thanks for stopping by, Floey. Hope you have a wonderful day xox
Just beautiful! God loves mending the broken places and saying “Look my child, look how much I love you.” We know mending the brokenness is crucial to overcoming an eating disorder.
Hi Arden, thank you! You’re right – that is SO crucial. And how comforting is it to think of Him saying that.:) thanks for stopping by 💚
I needed this today. Thank you for pointing me to God. Its so true. We can’t fill the places inside of us except with HIM. He’s the only way. Much love to you!
Thank you so much Shelbie Mae. Yep so often I find myself trying to fill that void with other things and I have to remind myself of this constantly. Thanks for stopping by xox
Wonderful insights! And I love your images too. Keep posting! I love to hear your thoughts 🙂
Oh thank you Lillian! I appreciate that:) have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by!
“I will never leave nor forsake you…” (Hebrews 13:5). We have help and it is one faithful prayer away! But be patient, even in challenges and trials, as God may require more time to complete His plans which surround or involve you.
Steven
Hi Steven. What a comforting verse. Thank you for that. Yep He’s only a prayer away:) thanks for stopping by! Blessings
My pleasure, be comforted today!
Reblogged this on Living Resiliently Blog.
Thanks so much for the reblog! 😀 have a great rest of your weekend!
I like your post. Well said.
Thank you! Glad you stopped by!
Thanks 😄
I am following your blog. Do you want to follow my blog?
It’s raulconde001.com
Lot’s of interesting stuff in it. Including fiction short stories. If you want.
A wonderful promise we can claim
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
In my soul, not the body but the precious soul, the real you: in Christ, our soul has a new spiritual person. It did not stop there, the promise also says the old self has passed away and behold all things are new. Those old fleshly attractions are not attractive to that new person in Christ. We have a new nature that is hungry for the spiritual things and the old things do not have the power over our flesh since we became a new creature in Christ. May the LORD bless you as you continue to point souls to the Light of Life.
You are so wonderfully insightful! Such a beautiful blog! X
Gosh, thank you so so much! I really appreciate that 🙂
True, every one has a story and in most cases while we have no control over what has happened to us, we all have control over HOW we choose to respond to any given situation.
Praise God for Jesus because only Christ can change/mend/heal a heart – we have to set aside pride and self-effort though and give it to Him.
Beautiful post – with Christ we are never alone and He loves us so much.
Blessings.
That is so so true. Thank you for your encouragement. I appreciate it very much 🙂
Reblogged this on wwwpalfitness.
” Because at the end of the day, it’s just you.”
How true…Yes. God…Only God can turn our life around. Not any man-made systems..
Thanks for the fresh motivation 🙂
Lots of love,
Carol
Hi Carol, thank you so much 🙂 I’m glad this struck a chord with you! Yep, God is good and can absolutely turn our lives around! Thanks for stopping by and for your sweet comment! Hugs to you!
*hugs back* sister 🙂
❤️❤️❤️
I read a lot. Fiction, non-fiction, history…a bunch. I get inspired by the hero of the story. He or she overcomes, saves the day, makes the right decision. The thing that I missed for a very long time was that they had to be strugglers before they could be heroes. Try an old entry of mine: https://jeffreyhking.wordpress.com/2014/11/26/heroes/