Written by Kendall Shue, an Eating Disorder Survivor. Christian Eating Disorder Recovery Blog, Devotional and Bible Study Writer. Christian Life Coach.
As a former middle school teacher, I have a LOUD voice. Students would follow my directions (for the most part!) daily without too much complaint. When I looked up the definition of meek, it said that this word meant quiet, gentle and submissive. Meek is not a word that I would ever use to describe myself. Yet meek is the word that God used to describe Moses in Numbers.
“Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people on the face of the earth.”- Numbers 12:3
MOSES? The same guy who rallied the Israelites together and got them out of Egypt? The guy who led the Israelites across the Nile? The same person who led the Israelites through the wilderness for FORTY years until they got to their promised land? The guy who God talked to and gave the commandments to? HE was meek?
Yep.
Apparently he was the meekest person on earth at the time. And yet… God had a job for him despite his meekness. God had called him to be a leader of people. God had called him to speak to the Israelites for Him. God used the voice of this quiet man to completely change history.
Our weaknesses do not define us. When we think about ourselves, we usually come up with a list of all the things we aren’t. When we are struggling through mental heath issues, that list is often at the forefront of our minds. “I’m not strong enough. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t eat that today. I can’t get out of bed. I’m too sad. My anxiety is too bad to let me do that today. I’ll never get better. I’m stuck here.”
God doesn’t base our calling or our purpose on our weakness, he bases it on our potential. He bases it on what he put us on this earth to do. So, no matter what you think your weaknesses are, God is going to use you regardless. Your weaknesses are not your limitations. Your weaknesses are starting points for growth.
Over time, God built up Moses into a speaker, a leader, and a strong example of how to live a life for God. He started off meek… but no one can say that he spent the rest of his life meek. In fact, God grew him in opposition to his weakness.
Before we go much further, let me point out that meekness isn’t a BAD thing! The point is that what you think is a limitation or a weakness is not what God thinks. You are defining yourself by your perceived weaknesses, telling yourself what you can and can’t do based on them. God doesn’t even factor those in because your weaknesses aren’t important to him. He uses your weaknesses to grow you, to strengthen you and to show his unfailing faith. But that doesn’t define you.
God defines you, not your perceived weaknesses or limitations. God sets your path and your life’s work without those in mind. So why do we limit ourselves? Why do we let our thoughts go into boxes of what we can and can’t do.
We are capable of SO MUCH MORE than what we think we are. If we can learn to let go of the preconceived notions that we have of what is supposed to happen based on our current limitations and just let God MOVE in our life, we would be amazed at what would happen.
Even though I’m in Eating Disorder Recovery, my thoughts around some foods, or situations with food, are really loud. A few weekends ago I knew it would be a challenging weekend with food. There were going to be a lot of new things, a lot of people, and it was going to be a busy weekend. I had to choose to live without the limitations my mind was screaming at me. Every meal was a choice that weekend. I brought the backup ‘safe food’ for if I needed it… but I did it. The whole weekend.
It took me YEARS to get there in my recovery. It takes daily, consistent choices, to be able to live freely with food. If you aren’t there yet, or you don’t know how you’ll ever get there, I pray that you remember that Moses was once described as meek, and he became one of the most powerful men with one of the most influential voices in the Old Testament. You might be described as ‘sick,’ ‘anxiety-ridden’ ‘has an eating disorder’, ‘depressed,’ ‘addicted,’ or something else right now, but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck. That doesn’t mean it will always be this way. The big and small choices that you make daily, who you choose to listen to, and putting your recovery, and your faith, first, will help you transform from meek to mighty.
What you are today doesn’t have to be what you are tomorrow, or next month or next year. When you put in the work, trust God and let Him work in your life, you will transform.
I am always praying for you!
