Note: This is not medical advice. If you are actively struggling with an eating disorder, please seek help from a medical professional.
A Church Pew and a Toilet Bowl
Imagine going to church on Sunday and hearing an incredible message. You feel like you’ve turned a new page. And then Monday comes, and you find yourself with your head in the toilet, purging after yet another binge—for the 11th year in a row.
You think, “How could this happen? I thought I was doing better.”
That was me.
Jesus met me in a church pew the second Sunday I started going back after over a decade away. But by then, I had already been rebuilding my faith. I was in the Word daily, praying consistently, and growing after walking through the grief of miscarriage.
Jesus saved me shortly after I returned to church, but I had considered myself a Christian long before that. So when I was actively engaging in my eating disorder… was I not a Christian? Were the hours I spent reading the Bible, listening to Father Mike, or praying all for nothing?
Does Being a Christian Mean You Have to Be Perfect?
Absolutely not.
“And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’” — Mark 2:16–17
Jesus is calling us—especially when we are at our lowest. When we are struggling with sin, mental illness, disordered behaviors, dark thoughts, or shame—He meets us there.
So What Does Make You a Christian?
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” — Romans 10:9
You are a Christian if you:
Believe Jesus is the Son of God
Trust that He died for your sins
Believe He rose from the dead
That’s it. That’s the gospel. That’s the grace we get to live under.
What Does This Have to Do With an Eating Disorder?
Because God doesn’t want you to just survive—He wants you to thrive.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11
If you’ve battled an eating disorder, you know you’re not prospering. You’re not free. Whether it’s anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, or orthorexia, the shame, pain, and fear are suffocating.
You weren’t made to live like this. You were made for freedom.
So What’s Next?
Let me tread gently here, because this comes from compassion, not condemnation.
I know very few people with a truly healthy relationship with food. God doesn’t call us to be perfect—not perfect Christians, not perfect eaters, not perfect humans. But He does call us into healing, freedom, and relationship with Him.
And I believe—because I’ve lived it—that there is a powerful connection between your relationship with God and your recovery from an eating disorder.
Yes, You’re Still a Christian… But You’re Also Invited into Healing
As long as you believe Jesus is Lord and trust in His resurrection, you are a Christian. Full stop.
But as Christians, we also:
Acknowledge sin
Recognize our need for grace
Walk in repentance
That doesn’t mean your eating disorder itself is a sin—but it can involve sin:
Lying about what you’ve eaten
Hiding food wrappers
Hating the body God gave you
Idolizing control, image, or comparison
And when there’s sin, the answer is the same as always:
Repent — Turn away from darkness and toward Jesus Pray — Ask for a new way of living Confess — Invite others in and speak the truth
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” — James 5:16
The Bottom Line
Yes, you are still a Christian if you struggle with an eating disorder. But God has so much more for you than a life bound by shame and secrecy.
So how do you begin walking toward what He has planned for you?
Start with these three foundational practices:
Identify the sin connected to your disorder
Repent and turn to Jesus daily
Pray for transformation and healing
This is not a formula. It’s a faithful first step. And Jesus walks with you every inch of the way.
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