With bobby & i getting more physically fit, bobby bought me a subscription to shape magazine. I never would have thought in a million years that a subscription could be used by God for God. Never underestimate Him, He can show up and use you no matter where you are or what you’re doing. Case in point (and i dont believe i’m doing anything wrong by copying this here. It can all be seen @ shape.com under the forums). I was online checking out the website and updating my profile and this forum got my attention. I know it was God because I’ve never responded on a forum before. This lady’s story broke my heart. Also, there had been about 30 views of her story and no one had tried to help her. Then when someone did respond to her and to me, they give her the worlds fix. Below is a copy of this forum as of 01/25/10. I ask you to pray for carol (carol1958) and also for the young girl (wannabeslim) who responded to her. My responses are under chellymac.

By carol1958
Body image issues still at 51
i’m 51 and have had body image issues most of my life. Anorexic from 14 on. this was always the one thing i could control. now that i am older i find myself not being in control of anything anymore. stress at work, always worried about something but mainly being fat. thinking i am all the time. i’m 5′1″. weigh anywhere from 97 to 101. take laxitives at times. eat salad, cereal, fruit, some cheese…but when i feel i’ve overeaten, take laxitives. i am always tired, (*exhausted) been in a job for 31 years and can retire in 4. i drive 62km one way to work which can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hrs. my job is extremely stressful, federal government, changes all the time, politics etc. depression runs in my family. take effexor. my older sister is 3 times my size and has issues with overeating, we had a very disfunctional upbringing shall we say. A stepfather who screwed us up royally. i have not had a drink in 19years. i’m tired of always worrying how i look or feel. (fat, uphappy etc). this may not be the right site for this issue, but if someone can advise where i should maybe look, i would appreciate any help you can offer. i have seen thereapists, belonged to groups etc., but then when things get close to opening i panic and quit.

By chellymac
dont panic…
The stuff the world hands us is hard to deal with sometimes. I’m sorry for the pain you’ve gone through. I’m not even going to insult you with saying, “I know how you’re feeling”, cause I don’t. The world tells us we have to be a certain size to be happy. Look on T.V., pick up a magazine, get on your computer, @ work, @ school. The world tells us it’s the “outside” that’s important. I’m going to tell you the opposite. God loves you and created you. He looks at your heart, not at the size of your jeans or how much you weigh. (1 Samuel 16:7 says But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”) He has a plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11 says 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.) My prayer is that you know that love the Lord has for you. He can totally transform your life. I know, He transformed mine. I’m not telling you to gain weight. I’m not telling you to lose weight. What I’m saying is, “Give all your cares, all your concerns, all your worries, all your insecurities, all your junk to Him. He wants it. He can handle it. (1 Peter 5:7 says Cast all your anxiety on Him cause He cares for you.) I assure you that if you reach that ideal weight you have in your mind, you will still be unhappy. And if you continue to harm your body by taking laxitives, you will end up in the emergency room. The life we’ve been blessed with is such a gift, even yours. Unwrap it honey! The Lord wants us healthy! He wants us to be happy! The Lord wants a relationship with you. (Matthew 19:26 says Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”) God has to be in this, cause I’ve never replied to something like this before. I will be praying for you. You can start fresh right now! It’s okay to eat, girl. Just try to eat well-balanced meals and exercise everyday. The exercise will make you feel better and give you more energy. And if your not in church, find you one to go to. We need that fellowship with other brothers & sisters. They can help carry your burdens. tlk 2 u soon, chellymac

By wannabeslim JUDGE ME NOT
Carol, I may not have that much knoledge on the bible, not much on anything, but i can tell you that you are a strong woman. At this moment…i am going to say that i do understand where your coming from in feeling that this HUGE issue can never be fixed. And right now i feel that you need someone who can relate to you. The differnce in me and you is you dont eat enough…and i eat to much…you need someone to lean on in that time of hurt…not a therepist or counselor…a friend that knows of your problems who you can try and help you get through this. And you are getting older and being that small definately cannot be good…but I know that needing to feel skinny is important to you..as is to me…but it is not everything…maybe you can just try gaining a little weight…maybe 10 or 15 lbs just to be at a healthy level..you will still be skinny…but healthy…you need to satisfy yourself…dont worry about what other ppl think of you…as long as your happy with yourself…and have a drink if you want…you need to relax…maybe take a vacation and just have some personal time…you need to make you happy and not worry about what anyone else thinks.

I dont know if i made any sense to you or if i helped. But i honestly hope i helped.

I hope you see that what makes you happy is most important!

By chellymac
Back again…
It troubles me so much that the majority of the world thinks that you can make everything alright just by having a drink or going on a vacation. Or better yet, looking inside yourself for the strength. The “I can do anything, i don’t need anyone mentality”. And what was the other option, oh yea, find someone else with the same problem and lean on each other. Guess you can lean on each other to you both get to the end of your ropes. But then what are you going to do? The only thing drinking will do for her, is it might make her forget her problems for awhile, but when she sobers up the problems are still there. Why? Cause you haven’t fixed the problem, you just covered them up. Then I guess she could just get away from it all. Take a vacation and leave it all behind. Maybe she could go to the beach and lay in the sand. Ooops, nope that wont work. She has body issues so she wont be doing that. Does this make any sense to anyone? The world continues tells us to fill this void with the things of the world. The things of this world may temporarily gratify, but it can never satisfy.“For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with good things” (Ps. 107:9) God made us with an emptiness (it’s a God shaped hole) that only HE can fill. I’ll use this analogy, it’s like putting water in your gas tank. IT WONT WORK! Wake up people. There are a billion programs for every problem you could imagine. Think about it. If these programs really worked, they would be out of business. They’re just short- term fixes. Until you go to the program director, GOD, you are wasting your time, your money and your life. He wrote the BOOK on how we should live. He designed us. He alone knows what we need. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14. The Lord has done so much for me, I can not be still or be quiet. If something works you want to shout it from the roof tops. MY LORD WORKS!I’ll end with this scripture. For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19)