Mamas, Stronger Together – Guest Series: Christian mothers have such a strength when we let down our guard and get real with each other, stop comparing ourselves to other mothers, when we stop making motherhood a competition, and instead build each other up as fellow mothers! Over the next weeks, we will hear from various Christian mamas who are each brave, beautiful, and strong in sharing the messages God has placed on their hearts. Enjoy the below message of encouragement from LeeAnn King.
“If overthinking was an Olympic sport, I would be a gold medalist.”
The day I read that meme I felt seen. Even though it comforts me to know that God has endless grace for me, there’s a battle going on inside my mind constantly. There’s a rude inner critic living in my brain that judges and points out every single thing I am NOT doing. She says things I would be never say to any other human being.
Before I was in a community where heart-to-heart connection with other moms helped me see that I wasn’t alone in the spirals of being too hard on myself, I felt like I was the only one beating myself up all the time. For me, my inner dialogue hated my body, shamed me for even caring about what my body looked like, bullied me for every food choice, and just wore me down. Why even try anymore? I was constantly trying to fix my eating and subconsciously proving to myself over and over that I couldn’t develop self-control.
The thing about having a place that feels safe to be completely transparent and vulnerable is that there is comfort, understanding, and peace when the garbage inner dialogue comes into the light. There’s true beauty when you find those God-fearing women who can listen without judgment and want to cheer you on towards believing the truth about what God says about you.
The problem with the brain is that it’s wired to protect us and keep us alive. The brain will naturally do everything it can to protect us from any harm. This harm could be the disappointment of trying to make a positive change and failing once again.
We need to have cheerleaders in our corner to remind us that no one is perfect and no one apart from Jesus ever will be. Even if we know it in our heads, it is so easy to feel like a failure for falling off the wagon or overindulging after the kids go to bed. It is in THOSE moments when we would typically throw in the towel and say, “Whatever, I will start again Monday,” that having other women build you up can completely change your life.
The enemy, who is lurking to destroy us, will most definitely use those failures to convince us that we aren’t worth the change anyway. And that’s just the beginning of the lies that will tear down our self-esteem. Lies creep in and tell us that who we are is based on what we “do” rather than “who God says we are”.
My passion is helping other women fight back against those lies. Taking care of our health is SO much more than the physical and eating plan. There’s a whole emotional element to it, that is the determining factor on whether we stick to it or look for more excuses. It is rooted in how we view ourselves.
The decisions we make in every moment reflect back to how we would answer the question, “What kind of person am I?” If I am the kind of person who honors her body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, then I would likely choose to give myself foods that would help me feel my best to do the work I am created to do. If I think I am the kind of person who has no self-control around sweets, then anytime there’s sugar in the house, I will eat it all.
How can I live out of my God-given identity? Time in the Bible, soaking in what God says about who I am because of the blood of Christ and surrounding myself with like-minded women who will point me back to that direction, instead of letting me commiserate with them about how I need to lose ten pounds. We need the women in our life who will tell you it’s healthy to look at yourself in the mirror and allow your brain to change what it sees. It may seem weird, but it is actually really powerful to look at yourself in the mirror and say, “I love you.” The Creator of the universe says that about you and He’s not wrong!
LeeAnn King has battled disordered eating habits, anxiety and depression in some dark valleys, but as a young mama, the Lord lifted her up out of the cycles of dieting and self-loathing. A huge part of that transformation comes from the opportunity to be vulnerable and share the shame-filled thoughts and behaviors with God-fearing women who would point her back to the grace made possible through Christ on the cross. It’s her passion to coach women out of the prison of the diet cycle and into the healthy relationship with food and exercise that brings them the energy and ability to live out the life God has for them. Follow her at:
Joy A. Mead 
Good encouragement and motivation!
Love this: “There’s true beauty when you find those God-fearing women who can listen without judgment and want to cheer you on towards believing the truth about what God says about you.”
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