Emily recovered from anorexia at the age of 13, due mostly to her faith in a God who loves her. But she relapsed as a young married woman, at the age of 23, when she began to doubt that faith. She started to believe again when her parents flew across the country in order to apologize for the past, for whatever role they’d played in her eating disorder, and for not trying harder to love her in the midst of her pain. This apology provided the fuel she needed to forgive, not only them, but herself, and to learn to walk in that forgiveness by entering into a beautiful relationship with her body and with her creator. Emily truly believes that in order for a disordered eater to find healing, the family has to find healing as well. It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a family to fill the void in a person’s heart. So let’s begin on that journey, one step, one mouthful, one embrace at a time, and let’s not despair. For we’re all broken, and it’s in leaning on each other that we find our way home.

Emily Wierenga is a wife, mother of four boys (two of whom are hers), artist, and author of Chasing Silhouettes: How to Help a Loved One Battling an Eating Disorder (Ampelon, 2012) and Mom in the Mirror: Body Image, Beauty and Life After Pregnancy (Rowman & Littlefield, Releasing May of 2013). Emily is also a monthly contributor to A Deeper Story, She Loves, and Prodigal Magazine, as well as an occasional contributor to TheHighCalling.org. For more info, please visit www.emilywierenga.com.

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Kids with Eating Disorders

Help your child struggling with an eating disorder such as anorexia If your child is battling an eating disorder, the best thing that you can do is keep on loving and supporting them. If you ever feel that you need help with your child, don’t ever hesitate to get tr...