Guest Blogger: Sarah Roap & Weighted Down

 Today, I introduce you to Sarah Roap. I was blessed to share dinner with Sarah, while at She Speaks in July. Sarah's story shows how God turned her from a food addiction. However, her words are pertinent to each of us. God is using Sarah's story to connect with others, after she connected with Jesus, in this communication-saturated world. Leave Sarah some love through the comment section.  Thanks Sarah for being this month's guest blogger on Dawn's Dialogue. 

I am a good ol’ girl that was born and raised near Huntsville, Alabama.  I am 28 years old and have battled with food addiction and weight my whole life.  At the young age of 24, God started sending me down a path to cure my obesity and I want to share that journey with the world. Through the strength of Christ and the tools He gave me I lost 150 pounds.

Photo Credit: vividBreeze 

When I was morbidly obese and weighing a whopping 285 pounds, I would over eat all day everyday.  There are many different reasons that we over eat.  One reason is because we are emotionally eating.  We are using food to fill the void that is meant for Jesus to fill. 

Food made me feel better temporarily. I am pretty sure it had to do with the feel good chemical reactions I got by eating these foods. Foods that are rich in carbohydrates can release serotonin.  Dopamine is released when eating protein rich foods.  Phenylethamine is released when we eat chocolate.   I could sit here and tell you about all the different hormones that are released that make us feel good when we eat certain foods, but the bottom line is that I needed those feel good hormones in my body to make me feel complete.  I was missing and seeking something.  Food would cure my emptiness, but only temporarily. 

Photo Credit: Dew Photography

Food became my drug and I was addicted to it. It is described well in Proverbs 25:28 which says,

    “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” 

I know how that man feels: frantic, anxious, worried, desperate, distressed, distracted, susceptible, weak, helpless, defenseless, exposed, and vulnerable. 

Galatians 5:22-23 says,

    “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.” 

Did you read what I just wrote and quoted from the Bible, the sacred scriptures of Christianity???  If you call yourself a Christian and realize that you have received your salvation from the blood of Jesus Christ, then you have the fruit of the spirit IN YOU! This is great news! If you are anything like me when I first read this scripture and trying to apply it to my lack of self-control at the time, then you are wondering where it is in you. 

I used to joke about the levels of each fruit of the Spirit that I had in me and when it got to self-control I would show that I had a pinch and then laugh it off.  I quickly realized that I needed to ask God to make the fruit of self-control in me stronger and I did this through lots of prayer. 

My advice to you about your food issues, whatever they might be is to pray, pray, and then pray some more.  He listens and He is faithful.

The Bible tells us about prayer in Romans 8:26

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

Photo Credit: Dew Photography

“Dear Lord, help me please.  Right now, in this moment I need you to fill me up because I do not feel as if I have the self-control that I need to make the right choices.  I know that I will only be completely fulfilled with you and not the things of this world.  Thank you Lord for giving me options, but please give me the wisdom and clarity I need to make wise choices. Amen.”

Prayer works. Our Heavenly Father wants to help you; you just have to ask Him for help.  Psalm 63:5 tells us

    “My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”  

I am not going to lie, it is hard and it sucks.  I have to constantly check myself and my heart every single day.  The days when I try to resist temptation by myself, I fail miserably.  On the days when I seek God to help me resist temptation, I am pleasantly surprised that He is there!  It gets me every time too that I have a really great day with moderation and I have kept my diet in balance… it is the sweetest blessing!

“For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”  Psalm 107:9

 To read more about my journey and daily struggles that I write about in hopes to inspire others to use the strength of Christ you can visit my blog at www.weightedweighdown.blogspot.com

Sarah Roap

"Encouraging people to drop the baggage and gain a life"