Washing Feet and A Recognition

Posted on by beautybeyondbones

It just so happens that tonight’s post is quite timely. So I invite you to take a little journey with me.

I received word today, on Holy Thursday before Easter, that my blog was named by HealthLine, (a USA Today top-ranked health information provider with 125 million followers) as their #3 ranked “Best Eating Disorder Recovery” Blog of 2019, behind only NEDA and ED-Hope – which are two incredible organizations. I am humbled, grateful and truly blessed by the recognition.

So thank you, to HealthLine, and thank you to you, reading this — for allowing me to share my story, and joining me on the journey to new life.

This recognition comes at a rather interesting moment.

Allow me to set the scene. I’m on my computer reading the Gospel from Holy Thursday Mass in preparation for the post. And I had just finished the passage of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, when I got the email notification, informing me that I had been recognized by HealthLine.

Of course, I’m ecstatic. I call my parents. We do a little group hug over the phone. And then I get back my computer, and what is still up on my screen? But John 13: 13-15…

Photo: Passion of the Christ

So when Jesus had washed their feet and put His garments back on and reclined at table again, He said to them,
“Do you realize what I have done for you? …
If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.“

Let me first start out by saying that I am not equating myself to Christ. Let’s get that out of the way. No way, José.

Never in my wildest dreams, would I have thought that I would share about my anorexia on the Internet – or in a book! Never in my life would I have thought that I’d share about all the invasively personal and honest things on here — I mean, I’ve freaking shared about my menstrual history and my virginity for crying out loud!

But I’ve pretty much shed every single layer of who I am, and have exposed the vulnerable, broken mess of a human, out here on this blog. And for better or for worse, you’ve come along for the ride.

But why? Why have I shared things that have caused me embarrassment? The loss of friendships? Potential employment opportunities?

It is because Jesus washed my feet.

Photo: Passion of the Christ

I’ve shared with abandon that the sole, determining factor of my recovery was fully realizing that my eating disorder was one of the nails that pinned Jesus to the Cross. It was realizing that He died to set me free from that, and to pay my debt. He took it on. He forgave me of it.

And for this HealthLine news to be coming in on Holy Thursday, as He’s washing their feet and preparing to die on the cross – the foundation of my recovery, and purpose for this blog – it is just so incredibly timely. Miraculous timing, you could say.

I wasn’t too broken for Jesus. My crimes weren’t unforgivable. My past wasn’t too dirty. The guilt and shame that I had been carrying around because of my anorexia — because of the manipulation, and deception and lying and destruction — all the shit that goes along with an eating disorder — none of it was too much for Jesus to handle.

He is greater. And He took it on. And humbled Himself to die on a Cross.

But before He did, on that Holy Thursday night, He knelt down and washed the feet of His disciples, and instructed them to go and do the same for others.

And that is precisely what I pray this blog has done. I don’t have much to offer in this life…but I do have my story. I do have the testimony of the incredible saving grace of Jesus. Jesus, the source of my recovery. The foundation of my life. And the purpose behind why I so very frequently embarrass the crap out of myself for free on the internet.

Photo: Passion of the Christ

It is because it matters. You matter. Your heart matters. And if the only way I can wash your feet is to offer hope to those who are walking a road I’ve already travelled…then that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

So how incredibly meaningful that this recognition came in on Holy Thursday, of all days.

I have never done this blog for “the numbers.” My motto has been, and always will be, that if I’ve helped even one person, it is worth it. Admittedly, sometimes I struggle with feeling inadequate, or like I’m just spinning my wheels. But I think this was just a little nudge from the Father to keep at it, and keep sharing.

There is no place more desolate than the mind of a hopeless person, trapped in the cycle of anorexia or another addiction.

But there is hope. There is always a way out. There is always always hope. And it is found in the freedom won by the Cross. I pray that my life is a big, messy example of that.

Have a blessed, Easter friends.

“This is what the Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.” Ez 37:5

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beautybeyondbones

BBB: Because we're all recovering from something. // For speaking/business inquiries: beautybeyondbones@yahoo.com

198 thoughts on “Washing Feet and A Recognition”

  2. That is simply wonderful! And the truth of it all – that you serve because He serves us to the fullest! I love reading your blog and I have a daughter walking a road that drifts in the same direction so we have enjoyed many things you have written. Keep going!

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  5. Congratulations 🎉 and also, gif game on fleek! You’re such an inspiration. Glad I stumbled across your blog 😊

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    1. Hah thanks Johnzelle – I simply cannot resist a good gif! Thanks for such kind words. Hugs and love xox

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  6. First, let me congratulate you on your award. Secondly, let me thank you for your honesty, transparency, and overall genuine character. Your example is one to follow. Why do we all hide behind walls of pretension when we have real stories to tell and heartfelt inspiration to share. There is no real life example too sacred in this world to be shared with another human hungering for understanding and compassion. Our stories are all broken. And you, my friend, have capitalized on this with your example of humble and loving kindness. Have a beautiful day ☀️Erika

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    1. Hi Erika! Oh my gosh thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am so touched by this. Amen to that – our stories are beautifully perfect and worth telling!! Big big hugs xox

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    1. Hi Dave! Thank you so much – yeah I owe my life – literally – to Jesus. God is good! Happy Easter. Hugs and love xox

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  13. Well deserved!! Congratulations, Caralyn!! “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel… Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” Philippians 1:12,18. Have a wonderful Easter!!

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  14. ON HAIKU

    ◇ Gut Feeling

    If I know what I AM doing
    When I don’t know what I AM doing
    Then I DEFINITELY!!! know what I AM doing

    …◇◇◇…

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  15. Congratulations Caralyn, on the well deserved recognition. Thank you for all you are doing for hurting people, in any and every situation in their lives. I praise our Lord Jesus for your life and testimony, your daily living testimony, with boldness and empowering of Holy Spirit.
    God Bless you as you continue to move forward, growing closer to, and deeper in Christ. I am certain you Bless our Heavenly Father daily as you minister through your everyday life.

    God Bless you Precious Sister in Christ, and Friend.
    Luv, 😀🌹❤️😘

    A Happy Joyous Blessed Easter, and to your Family. Hope you have an opportunity to get home for a visit.

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    1. Hi George! Aww thank you so much 🙂 gosh I am so touched by this. You’re a wonderful friend and God is so good!! Have a blessed Easter! Hugs and love xox

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    1. Aww thank you so much Jeffrey! We’ve come a long way! God is good and I take so much joy in sharing His goodness! Much love to you and Julie!!! 🤗🤗🤗

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  21. “Her vulnerability is intentional…” It’s more than that. It’s the true you who you are. Congratulations on this award you truly deserve. “To the word (bible) and to the testimony (ours)!” And you do both here very effectively and for the honor of Christ Jesus. God bless you as you continue in all the courage you have displayed. 👍 😊

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  22. I am so pleased for you! The award is an incredible validation of what you do and who you are and how generously you share both. Thank you for sharing your excitement with us. You’re the real deal! ❤

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  23. Cute little shorts with your little self, actually I had something pertinent to say but now that I have been distracted it doesn’t want to come back to me, oh well good job keep it up!

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  26. Keep walking that path of humility demonstrated by Jesus in the washing of His disciple’s feet and you and I will some day be able to thank Jesus face to face for His grace and compassion as he represented the Father in this sacrificial act. 🙂

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  27. Congratulations Caralyn! We’re all a broken mess in need of the Savior. Each one in our own individual way. You’re not alone. Have a wonderful Easter! Mary ❤

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  28. I found this today, Holy Thursday: “Place does not exist except in God. There is no time outside God. God is the beauty in all beauty. Those who allow divine friendship enjoy devine friendship, and it is almost that simple. You are that which you are looking for, and that is why you are looking for it. God’s life and love flows through you as soon as you are ready to allow it. That is the core meaning of faith – to dare to trust that God could and does have an eternal compassion towards you. Everyone who asked Jesus to heal them or help them had somehow made that simple act of trust that he cared – and so the flow happened and they were healed. No other pre conditions were ever required.” – Richard Rohr Essential Teachings on Love. page 215-216.

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    1. Oh wow that is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing that with me. To dare to trust that God has compassion towards us. I love that. Hugs and love xox

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  31. I love this. 🙂

    “My motto has been, and always will be, that if I’ve helped even one person, it is worth it.” As a teacher, I often feel inadequate and ineffective, especially on those days when everyone is noisy and out of their seats and not listening. One of my classes has over half the kids failing right now. But I can’t reach everyone, and even if what I did made a difference to one student, it was worth it. I’ve kept in touch with some of my students over the years. I started teaching right out of college, and I was teaching high school at the time, so now I’m in this weird time warp where the first group of students I taught are in their mid-30s now, and I’m only in my early 40s. I’ve had some interesting Facebook conversations lately with a few of those early students, and even though their friends were all treating me like crap and saying terribly inappropriate things behind my back, that group gave me a chance, and we’re still friends today almost 20 years later. So I did make a difference.

    Another story about making a difference to one person that came up in my life recently… someone who my family knew as a kid fell in with the wrong crowd in his teens and ended up going to prison for a long time. None of us knew what happened to him after that. He got out earlier this year and is trying to turn his life around, and one of the first things he did was look up a few people he knew in the past who weren’t part of his criminal background. One of the people he got back in touch with was my brother, and it seems like the fact that he remembered our family decades later shows that we really made a difference to him.

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    1. That’s so awesome – thanks for sharing those experiences. Teachers are walking angels on earth truly. Thank you for the beautiful difference you’re making in the lives of your students. Hugs and love xox

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    1. Hi Tonya! Aww you’re so sweet thank you. I owe Jesus my life – because He saved it!! Much love to you! xox

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  35. Love, Love, Love this post! 😄 You are so honest and humble! God works so many miracles behind the scenes. When we get a glimpse of the small or larger picture of what He does for us…it is nothing short of amazing!! In our struggles, when we turn to Him, He transforms them from gigantic mountains into small hills that we can traverse or He just picks us up and carries us over the entire mountain. Through it all, and by that I mean the entire array of human emotions – joy from the Lord never leaves us once, we receive Him into our hearts!!
    Congratulations from the bottom of my heart on the award you received on such a special day. You were able to step back and see the whole picture of why it came to you exactly on the day it did. That’s a true gift! Proverbs 16:9 says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” As woman of faith, approaching her sixties (Wow…I didn’t just say that, did I lol), I can look back and see exactly what that verse means.
    I really relate to your statement, “My motto has been, and always will be, that if I’ve helped even one person, it is worth it.” because that is exactly mine, whether it be in person or online. Even during the long sabbatical, I was forced to take from my work for Him on my blog and FB – when He brought me out the depths of pain and despair with His healing touch – my blog and FB page, while still young, were still very much alive. He never fails us!! Many blessings to you and your wonderful mission!! 🙏🏻 ♥️ ✝️

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    1. Aww thank you so much! I am so touched by this beautiful response. Amen – He transforms us! And never fails us! Hugs and love xox

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  38. Congratulation, my dear friend 🙂
    This all you owe due to your personal experiences and through them, you can help thousands of other people who are in a similar situation as you used to be. Continue your selfless help as a service to man (and those who are in need with similar experiences).
    All my good wishes may accompany you, dear friend.
    Have a happy Easter time with your family 🙂
    Didi

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    1. Hi Didi! Oh thank you so much 🙂 my deepest prayer is to help even one person! 🙂 same to you! Have a beautiful Easter! Hugs and love xox

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      1. Yes, dear friend, even when you only could help one person with your experience, all your efforts have been worth it. This is the merit of the Christ-power who put His Grace on you and those who were able to learn from your lessons (in this case we are in thankfulness to this great divine power and prevent by this that our ego and pride take the credit for it)
        Thank you, from heart to heart
        Didi

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  39. Reading this post, I do have to take issue with one thing Caralyn; equating yourself to Christ. I don’t know what it is thought at Mass or maybe you don’t have the extra bible studies that we do. You see, that’s the very thing that you should do. Or at least work to.

    Let me explain… the whole purpose of Christ’s mission here in earth was to show humanity how to live. He wasn’t just some beacon of holiness. In all intents and purposes, he was 100% man; and yet he was also 100% God.
    Our goal should not be to walk around with self-righteousness ringing in our heads, but the fact that we should strive to equate ourselves to Christ, the man, because that is what God wants.
    In all his teachings, he always referred himself to as “The Son of Man”.
    It simply means, we are called to walk with our heads high, having authority & dominion of sickness, evil spirits, etc; a power Christ achieved to give us by his death on the Cross. When performing miracles, Christ himself told his disciples that they would do greater things then He.
    However, the flip side is to be humble enough to strip away enough to reveal that we too are human beings, flawed with scars of our past; clearly showing, just as Christ did, one is never “too holy” or “too important” to serve his fellow man. This is what it truly means to be a Christian.

    Just as Christ emptied himself on the Cross, you have emptied yourself here.
    So Congratulations in the recognition. This is a sign you’re on the right track. It’s God’s way of approving what you’re doing.

    Keep up the good work.

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    1. This is such a powerful perspective. And so true – we are supposed to strive to emulate our savior. WWJD. I am incredibly touched and humbled by your generous and kind words. Thank you friend. Have a blessed Easter weekend. Hugs and love xox

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  40. YES CARALYN 🙂 congratulations on the award but also wow. This is so incredible and beautiful girl. I am so proud you. You are truly amazing and such an example of boldness in your faith, so beautiful to witness.

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  41. Congratulations Caralyn! So excited for you, for one. For two, thankful for you, your blog, your courage. And for three, very proud of you for giving God the glory and staying focused inspite of the wonderful news. ☺

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    1. Thank you so much Daisy!! Yes!! God is amazing and I owe Him absolutely everything!! Thanks for sharing in the joy with me 🙂 big big hugs xox

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  44. Congratulations on your recognition. They cannot put you down after all. You have a Happy Good Friday and a Happy Easter.

    P.S. I will gladly wash your feet.

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  47. Love everything about this post! ❤ Congrats on the blog recognition and thank you for continuing to share your love of Christ with others. 🙂 (And I LOVE my B3 shirt!)

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    1. Hi Christine! Aw, thank you friend!! And oh my gosh YAY!! I’m so glad you love it!! I cannot begin to express how much I appreciate your support 🙂 Hugs and love xox

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  48. A BIG congratulations to you on this amazing award!!! Well Deserved!
    God is really using you and your story to be the light in this sometimes dark world. Keep it up, Caralyn! And also a special recognition to your parents for raising such a beautiful young woman. Hugs!

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    1. Hi friend! Aw thank you 🙂 i am humbled by your generous words! Haha aw you’re sweet! I’m about to see them! They’re picking me up at the airport so I will definitely pass that along 🙂 have a blessed Easter! Hugs and love xox

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    1. Thank you Beverly – that has been the saving phrase of my life. His mercy and love are vast like the ocean! Hugs and love xox

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  50. Congratulations! I know your blog is one of the very few that keeps me coming back. I love your honesty and can relate to you so much as a Christian who suffers with anorexia and is just at the end of my first year in recovery. Thank you.

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    1. Hi friend! Oh my gosh, thank you for saying that 🙂 I am so touched. And i am so excited for you and your recovery! Way to embrace life!!! I hope you can hear me cheering for you as you reclaim your life! You’re a rock star!! Hugs and love xox

      Like

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