John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

Reflecting back on the past year of my life, a lot has changed. I struggled heavily with anxiety, and on that end, my year was not so great, but some amazing things happened as well.

This past year my relationship with God grew and thrived, and I can honestly say it was coming to God that helped save my life. It was when I started my feeding my spiritual side that I learned how to finally start feeding my physical side.

By diving into God's word and filling up on his message, I began to realize that God gifted me this body, shaped it in his image, and made it for so much more than just looking good. Striving for thinness would never leave me satisfied. Each time I hit a goal weight, I set a new one. I strived for something unattainable, something that would never bring me true happiness.

By focusing on something so physical, material and superficial, I ignored by mental and spiritual well-being, leaving me malnourished, weak, and unhappy. But then one day a friend in treatment dealing with many of the same issues showed me a daily devotional book she had, Sarah Young's Jesus Calling, and opened up about how reading from it and soaking up it's positive message each day helped distract her from her bad body image and anxious thoughts. Desperate to start healing my mind, I started doing devotionals, too.

I really love the message of Jesus being the bread of life. When we fill our souls up with his wisdom, dealing with all the other issues in our hearts becomes so much easier. When we feed our soul with what it truly needs, we begin to see past the superficial and material goals. We find our identity in Christ, not in the number on the scale, our bank account, or GPA.

I'm not saying I'm perfect. I still struggle with my anxiety each and every day. But still, God's wisdom gives me the strength to not give in to my anxiety and to keep fighting disordered thoughts. It wasn't until I opened my mind up to God that I began to truly feel more comfortable with eating physical food and began to accept and take care of myself. Feeding my soul aligned with feeding my physical self, because it was with Jesus's love that I learned I should love and physically nourish this body that He created and gifted me.

Seeking God's wisdom first makes tackling issues in this world all the easier, and I am so thankful for my friend who introduced me to the power of daily devotionals.