BCC Staff Note: Today’s blog is the second article of a three-part series on the BCC Grace and Truth website on the topic of eating disorders. Monday, Ellen Castillo discussed the impact of anorexia on family members, and Donn Northrup will address gluttony on Friday.
Picture three people alone on a dance floor.
The first is the famous Prodigal Son from Luke 15. He’s selfish. He’s reckless. He’s greedy and gluttonous. He’s the embodiment of licentiousness — a lawless, pleasure-seeking rebel.
The second is the Elder Brother from the same story. He’s the polar opposite of his sibling. He’s a rule-follower. He’s regimented. He’s self-controlled, self-restricting, and self-righteous. He’s the embodiment of legalism — a strict, law-abiding religious fanatic.
The third is you. And you struggle with bulimia.
The music starts and you begin to dance.
Dance #1
When the first song starts, you take the hand of the Prodigal Son and boogey. In other words, you binge. You may do so for a number of reasons. Perhaps you want to de-stress after a long workday. Perhaps you feel lonely and are looking for companionship in food. Perhaps you’re ashamed of your physical appearance and find it fitting to feed into that self-perception. No matter the reason, you load up your plate (or plates), dig in, and stuff yourself. It’s fun for a while, but you can only dance with the Prodigal Son for so long before you feel sick. So you let go of his hand and take a seat.
Dance #2
Soon song #2 starts and you decide you’d like to dance again. But this time you switch partners and dance with the Elder Brother. Your first move is to purge — to drain your body of the “unholy” food you just ate. This may mean forcing yourself to throw up. It may mean downing a handful of laxatives. It may mean obsessively exercising. No matter how you do it, your goal is to cleanse yourself — to reverse the effects of your dance with the Prodigal Son.
Your next move with the Elder Brother is to restrict. Your goal is to regain control over your body after your out-of-control encounter with the Prodigal Son. So you limit your food intake. You impose rigorous rules on your eating habits. You skip meals. You functionally starve yourself.
But soon you can’t take the hunger pains any longer. Tension builds inside. You crave a meal — a BIG meal. So you let go of the Elder Brother’s hand, take the hand of the Prodigal Son once again, and binge. When you’re done dancing, you sit down again until you’re ready for another Elder Brother dance.
And the cycle continues.
Predictably, as you continue switching between dance partners, you suffer serious consequences. Your health suffers. Your physical appearance suffers. Your relationships suffer. Your walk with God suffers. Your entire life starts to fall apart.
But there’s good news. A fourth dancer is ready to step onto the dance floor and take your hand.
His name is Jesus Christ.
A New Song
Now imagine that the DJ plays new song (Ps. 40:3). It’s a song unlike anything you’ve heard before — a song that the Prodigal Son and Elder Brother can’t dance to. Jesus extends His hand and invites you to dance with Him. And as you dance, you experience everything you were trying to achieve by binging — by dancing with the Prodigal Son:
- Unmatchable comfort (2 Cor. 1:3-5)
- Unconditional acceptance (Deut. 31:6)
- Best friendship (John 15:15)
- Peace that surpasses understanding (Isa. 9:6)
- Joy when life is falling apart (Gal. 5:22)
And the list goes on…
But there’s more. As you dance with Christ, you also experience everything you were trying to achieve by purging and restricting — by dancing with the Elder Brother:
- Atonement for your sins (John 1:29)
- Complete forgiveness (Ps. 103:12)
- Unwavering righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21)
- Untainted holiness (1 Pet. 2:9)
- No shame (Isa. 1:18)
- No guilt (Rom. 8:1)
And the list goes on…
What Does it Mean to Dance With Christ?
But what does this dance with Christ look like in real life? How do you practically step onto the dance floor, grab His hand, and dance?
- You first place your faith in Him as your Lord, Savior, Rescuer, and Redeemer.
- You immerse yourself in His Word.
- You talk with Him in prayer.
- You worship Him every day of the week — not just on Sundays.
- You serve Him faithfully in the context of your local church.
- You build mutually edifying relationships with other Christians.
- You model Jesus in character, word, and deed in the home.
- You share your faith with those who don’t know Christ.
- You make disciples — raising and training up those who are young in the faith.
And the list goes on…
Is It Really That Simple?
Am I being overly simplistic here? Is the cure for bulimia a simple dance partner switch from the Prodigal Son-Elder Brother duo to Jesus Christ?
No, and yes.
I recognize that eating disorders are confusing, complex, and potentially catastrophic clinical problems affecting the mind, body, and soul. They have psychological, sociocultural, physiological, emotional, mental, and spiritual roots. In this short blog post, I have consciously chosen to focus on the spiritual roots. If you are struggling with an eating disorder, in addition to talking to a trusted pastor and counselor, let me encourage you to talk to a medical professional who specializes in eating disorders.
But at the end of the day, if you choose to let go of the hands of the Luke 15 sibling duo, take the hand of Christ, and dance…you will find freedom. True freedom. Lasting freedom.
So switch partners and cut a rug with Christ.
Questions for Reflection
If you struggle with bulimia, will you stop dancing with the Prodigal Son and Elder brother and start dancing with Christ? If you are a counselor or pastor, how will you use the gospel to counsel a person battling bulimia? How does a relationship with Jesus Christ influence your view of food? Your body? Your eating habits?