It’s real.

A lost cause.

"I always felt undeserving, completely hopeless, a lost cause, and a waste of my parents' money, space, and the very air I was breathing. But with [Charis], I experienced God's love and acceptance for me like never before. No matter how undeserving I felt, I could not escape the love that permeated the atmosphere. Every hug, kind word, prayer, and smile contributed to feeling freedom, hope, and joy. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for [Charis]. Thank you for moving mountains in my life that I didn't have the strength to climb. I have found my miracle." - J.

A glimpse of Jesus.

"This journey is not one I ever expected to be on, but I couldn't be doing it without [Charis]. Thank you for showing your pain and struggles for His glory. I've never experienced such selfless love and don't feel deserving of it, but I'm so thankful. Thanks for showing me a glimpse of Jesus." - J.

Encouragement to continue.

"[Charis] has given me hope, accountability, and encouragement to continue on my recovery journey over the last three years. Because of this, I am able to enjoy a taste of Christmas that I couldn’t enjoy not that long ago. Look at the incredible things God has done! I look forward to hearing how God uses Bring Your Brokenness in the new year and am thankful to be a part of it." - C.

I get it now.

“I don’t have words other than that I can see hope for the first time…like real hope. I can’t imagine my life without [Charis] or your family. I truly never thought I would survive this. I could never see life outside of an eating disorder. But I can now. Thank you for giving me so much peace in my broken mess. I love knowing that I am so not worthy – but God! That I can be worthy only because of who He is. I get it now.” –KJ

I should have died.

"As someone who has struggled for decades with an eating disorder, it has only been the last few years that I have been blessed to be connected with [Charis]. God has used [Charis] to be an integral part of my recovery journey. I no longer feel like a lost cause. I should have died and did wish I was dead so many times. But now I truly want to live life to the fullest and no longer be a slave to an eating disorder." - J.

Hope is what BYB is about.

“There was a time in 2011, at a red light in our little town of Warrenton, VA that I haven’t told many people about. My wife’s [eating disorder] struggles had surfaced after seven years of marriage. Things had gotten so bad that I was worried to the point of being physically ill, and in that moment in my car the only thing I could think of to do was to ask God how to save my wife. In that moment of sheer desperation, I felt what can only be described as a warm, liquid hug. I was filled with a sense of hope so overwhelming that it got me home safely that day.

That hope made me know that in the long run everything would be OK. That hope got me to hang on while my wife dug her way out of the hole those nine years ago. That hope got me to hang on in 2016 when things resurfaced. That hope got me to hang on in 2017, 2018, and 2019 when things had gotten so bad that my wife had to go to treatment. That hope got me to hang on while trying to work, run a household, and be there for our three kids acting as a temporary single parent for a total time of nine months. The hope is what got me to hang on when our kids were sick during the middle of the night and no one else was there, or when I worked through the circus of getting all of them to the bus on time each morning, or the night I thought I was having a heart attack from the stress of it all. That hope is what began to shine brighter and stronger as BYB came into my wife’s life. Today that hope is being able to think about the future and things we want for our family and how to turn something that was bad into something good.

Hope. That is what BYB is about. By way of your time, gifts, and contributions in whatever form they may be, you are giving hope to people you don't even know and may never will. But I promise you that your efforts, time, and love will give hope to the girls who come here, and also to their families. My hope and prayer now is that others will experience what my wife and I have and that the plan for the lives be fulfilled by way of hope.” - TB

Lifesaver.

“You do know that you saved my life, right?” –JA

Brokenness on display.

“I sit here trying to come up with words that can even begin to describe how thankful I am for you and how much you mean to me… This journey is not one I ever expected to be on, but I couldn’t be doing it without you. Thank you for showing your scars, your willingness to put your brokenness on display so that God can use your pain and struggles for His glory. I’ve never experienced such selfless love and don’t feel deserving of it, but I’m so thankful. Thanks for showing me a glimpse of Jesus.” -SB

The missing piece.

“Thank you for opening my eyes to true hope in God’s Word. After almost a year of not touching my Bible out of anger, shame, and guilt, you showed me truth again – where I can find REAL safety. Thank you for bringing light into what has been heavy darkness and giving me a foundation to build recovery on. I’ve never had the Word of God woven into my recovery like this. I realize it’s the missing piece. Thank you for being an example of taking what the enemy meant to destroy you with and using it for good.” -HS

Help in the fight.

“I have struggled to find the key to recover from my eating disorder fully for months. It is really scary, but in a beautiful way, how much your [blog] opened my eyes. I can literally see myself in what you wrote and it somehow helped me understand those months that I kept sliding deeper and deeper into a dark space both mentally and physically. I never knew what had driven me to these thoughts, but you showed me an image of myself, that I neither could nor wanted to see. I hope you know that I am not the only person thankful for your help on the way that I am going now, and that everyone who reads this somehow finds their individual help in this fight they’re having.” -LP

Break the walls down.

“Amie, my favorite thing about your story is your bravery in sharing realities under the surface. Walls break down from honesty like that and you create space for others to say, 'Me too.'“ –T.

Found.

“Your blog found me only a couple of days ago, and I already feel like it has helped me so much. I had been struggling with finding a way to fit God into my recovery, because I had lost my faith in Him so long ago. But I feel his presence in my life through you and your words. Thank you so much!”

Forever grateful.

Retreat

“There are truly no words to express what you did this weekend for me. I cannot stop thinking about how total strangers who didn’t know me but knew my struggle could love and serve me the way that you did. The shame of my eating disorder is so overwhelming that I can’t leave my house some days much less interact with people. The embarrassment and guilt is paralyzing. But this weekend, I have never experienced such unconditional love in my life. For a few days, you gave a little freedom from the heavy darkness of the shame. I will be forever grateful for that. I heard the truth spoken over and over this past weekend. I came home feeling like there might be a chance for recovery. That God is really still walking with me. I will be forever grateful to you.” –SP