In His Image Testimony: Natasha

2 years ago I graduated from swan Christian college. During my time at Swan is given the opportunity to know more about God. But like you can know a celebrity like Sandra Bull lock and how you can know everything about them, but if you were to walk up to the them, they wouldn’t recognize you. Because you don’t have that relationship with that person. Like my time here I knew a lot about God but never that relationship. So 1 year and 5 months ago I invited God in to my life and started that relationship I began to get this idea in my head that I need to prove myself and achieve a high level start to consume me. By the time I reached year 11, I had such a poor self esteem and image of my self. So at the end of my schooling I was at a point of being lost, I had no idea what purpose I had and what was my identity was. I was constantly striving to prove myself and achieve a high level and this idea perfection and this start to consume me. Up to this point. Sport was a place of hope and I soon started to place all value I had in sport, no matter what it was I had to push my self harder. This went on for years I soon started to take on more and more sports until it got to the point of having leg injuries about half way through year 11, my legs start to show signs of injuries and I would be seeing the physio on a regular basis, and was often told to back off sport abit. But to me sport was my everything and refused to give it up. I soon had an obsessive Compulsion disorder to sport and start to seek help for. By year 12 I was diagnosed with Compartment syndrome, stress fractures and shin splints in my legs and eventually forced to give up my sports. But this had been all I knew to-do and was so lost with out this. This had been my focus for the last 4 years and now nothing. I started to shift my focus the image what world was saying I had to be like. I began to look for that hole to be filled and took on the idea of the perfect image. I soon became focused on thinness as I perceived that Beauty was thinness and this now started to consume me. In my thoughts. I had planned to do a Gap year in the Army once I had finished school, but due to the alarming weight loss and leg injuries this was no longer an option. I was so lost, disappointed and feeling like a failure. I decided to stay home for a year and do a course in town. But with no friends around and very little help offered. My parents and I decided the best thing would be for me to move to Perth and seek help. I moved down to Perth and started to seek help. As the people around me were encouraging and opened my eye to what I was doing, still very little break through happened nothing seemed to help and I only felt at a point of disappointment instead. At this point I caught up with a close friend and see invited me to her church, I visited church and soon opened up to the pain I was dealing with inside. I asked her if she would help find a church near me. At this point I was struggling with an eating disorder. I was so lost but as walked in to Sunset Coast Christian life center I felt a peace within me, the people their were different, they were so happy, joyful and full on life, the people I encountered knew their purpose, identify and I saw a difference . At first I thought I had already accepted God in to my heart as my lord and savior but each time I was sensed God my heart beating and this indiscernible feeling came over me every time they asked if I would like to invite God to be my lord and savior. At this point was still be tormented with an eating disorder and suffering in the inside, I didn’t know anyone at church and every time I met someone new I was so shy and kept to my self. I was invited to check out youth I soon had an encounter with God. I walked in and a play/ skit started as I saw the things they were demonstrating was it was as if they were playing my life where I was at Image, eating disorder, pleasing people. I started to cry and ran out, I was so ashamed and one of the leaders I started to get to know came with me a brought me back in side. She wasn’t giving we attention I was crying for, but yet she was crying out to God for me where I couldnt , (I didn’t understand what she was doing) at the time but God showed me later) I soon accepted God in to my heart and started to b learn more what It ment to walk with God and be a Christian. My leaders encourage me to do a Coarse called made in his image. As God was totally in control and wanted to set me free from all these things that held me captive. He opened my eyes and was placed encouraging woman around me, who had felt what I had felt and who are not just survivors but are conquers in their own lives and those that knew who they were in Christ. God started to show me his unconditional and uncontainable love he had for me. I prayed this pray to him: PRAYER BOOK: Dear Lord I just thankyou that you know my every thought, my fears, what my desires are. I thankyou that you never have and never will give up on me, even thou I might give up on my self at times. You know my fears and the thoughts I believe. You know my anxious thoughts about weight and how at times I don’t like what I see and feel uncomfortable in the body you created for me. Lord I have stopped seeing and believing what you say I am. That I am your Precious Daughter and you have called me to great things. Help me to break this fake mirror I see, full of negative thoughts and Image that just is not true. Help me to declare your word and to believe the truth with in. That I may live in full honor of you. Lord help me to be completely honest with you and I may come to you. Believe what you say about me. To be strengthened in your name. Thankyou Father for your Grace, for your understanting and help lead me back to the path of truth and delight In your name I pray Amen And began to take a daily journey with him, declaring that I may know the truth and the truth will set me free, that God is my strength and where I am weak he is strong, that every challenge I may face that I know I am not alone, that God had a equipped me in his Armor Helmet of Salvation ( accepting Jesus as my savior), Breast plate of Righteousness (that I may ask forgiveness for my sin), Shield of Faith (that God is with me to protect me), Belt of Truth( I may know the truth from him) Peace of Shoes (live in peace with God( and the spirit of the Sword (that I may declare his word over my life) Today I stand here and tell you there is hope; God continues to set my free daily. I have a brand new life with him. I am completely healed from all injuries I now play netball twice a week and enjoy it in a healthy manna. I am in my first year of Leadership College and stepping in to a future filled with purpose, blessing, joy, hope and much more. I am excited about my life and am over joyed that each day I get to spend with God.