Unfolding Recovery

Recently, while going through some things, I came across some photos of me in various formal dresses. The significance was, at the time these images were taken, I was also a bridesmaid at my cousin’s wedding- and, at my lowest weight, due to anorexia. So, it was startling to see myself drowning in these gowns, including the pink bridesmaid dress. It had been years since I’d seen the prints. And then it hit me: unfolding recovery. At the time these photos were taken, I was miles away from any kind of recovery. I was solely fixated on becoming as thin as I could possibly get. And, if I died in the process, well, so be it. I was sick in every area: physically, emotionally and spiritually. And that girl had no clue healing would be possible, but it would take on a gradual, ongoing form, over years. Recovery wouldn’t be instantaneous. It would unfold. So now, years later, I’m very much “in process.” I am “healed by the Stripes of Jesus,” but I do not want to be so arrogant to think that I am completely cured, finished and therefore, independent from God’s involvement in my life. I am not. I get asked the question, “as a Christian, are you healed?” Yes, I am. But, I think there’s a larger question being asked, “Are you perfect?” No, I’m not. Recovery, like life, is daily- and imperfect. I’m not in the same place I was at the time these dress photos were taken. But I have not “arrived” either. Where am I then? 2 Corinthians 3:18 states it in the most accurate way: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” It’s a process, not a one-time event. It’s unfolding. And Hallelujah for it! Copyright © 2013 by Sheryle Cruse