It Takes a Village

What they don’t tell you is this: it will also take a village to heal your inner child

They say it takes a village to raise a child. What they don’t tell you is this: it will also take a village to heal your inner child. Your real glow-up takes community. 

If you had seen me a year ago, you would not believe you were looking at the same person. Well, let me be clear. If you could be a fly on the wall in my apartment, you wouldn’t recognize me. 

I spent my days in bed. Unless I had to work that day, I didn’t get up until I got hungry enough. I cried my eyes out all the time. My anxiety kept me up at night. I snacked all day. I was 20 lbs heavier. My body image was in the toilet. 

The woman I am today is nowhere near the woman I desire to be, but I am so thankful for the progress that I have made. It’s easy to blame yourself when you find yourself in a deep dark season. Luckily God was behind the scenes orchestrating everything I needed. He surrounded me with friends, rekindled old friendships, and allowed me the finances for therapy. They surrounded me with so much love and words that I needed to hear when I didn’t know that’s what I needed. If you find yourself filled with uncertainty, gaslighting yourself, and feeling isolated, here are a few important lessons my tribe poured into me along the way:

1. God will meet you where you are: I don’t have to spend time with Him, on my knees praying for hours. He’s also comforting me when I find myself curled up in a fetal position. Talk to Him, open yourself up to Him. He knows what happened to you, and you are in a safe place with Him. He cares more about your heart posture than having a perfect Christian performance. 

2. Do what you can: one of the most freeing things. If all you have is 40% for the day and you gave it, you actually gave 100%. 

3. It’s okay to grieve: processing emotions that you swept under the rug is a lot to deal with. But you should never be ashamed of the emotions that God gave you. He wants you to process and filter what it means, not allow your emotions to control you. 

4. You still look good: remember your strengths, you still have talent, and you still look good in jeans. Stop holding on to the old image of you, and embrace your body in this season. As long as you’re healthy, you’re doing good. Anything else, like losing pounds, is just extra. 

5. Give yourself grace: the journey takes time. You will find your new rhythm as you reveal more of your true identity. Don’t be so hard on yourself. You made it this far, and God is going to keep ordering your steps. 

Prayerfully, you’re not in a deep dark place. But if you find yourself stuck, idle, and down, a community you can trust is who will encourage you when you can’t do it yourself. Keep your head up high and remember, you still have a purpose. 

Weekly Scripture

 “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”

1 Thessalonians 5:11

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