The Middle Child’s Journey to Healing

“I was definitely becoming super thin,” Jessica Rooney said as she recalled one of the most challenging parts of her life. “All my clothes were baggy. My hair was getting thinner. I was trying to hide it and do it sneakily. I didn't think I had a problem. Ultimately that put me in a prison.”

Jessica grew up in a Christian home, going to church and learning about Jesus. Even though she knew what the Bible says about God’s love, she found it hard to believe.

“I struggled to feel like I was sometimes a lovable person,” Jessica said. “Around middle school age, I was more shy at that time. Because I didn't really like my personality, I relied a lot on my looks and would try to gain approval from people, especially boys, in that way. It wasn't only from guys, but from females as well who would compliment me, ‘Oh, you look good. How do you stay so thin?’ and stuff like that. So, that encouraged me to keep going down that route. It became a real focus and ultimately an obsession.”

Jessica began counting calories and restricting her diet, but that wasn’t enough. She started purging after meals, eventually becoming bulimic.

“One day you just wake up and you see how far you've gotten,” Jessica said. “I weighed less than one hundred pounds. I had blacked out before from just the malnutrition. My periods stopped. I still, even with those things happening, didn't really have a desire to change”

Family and friends staged an intervention. Her mother insisted that she seek help at a faith-based treatment center, Mercy Multiplied. Jessica went reluctantly, not seeing any value in it, but then a Christian couple came to share about the love of God.

“They were speaking prophetic words over each one of us girls,” Jessica said. “They said something about how I would have my own kids in my own womb. The night before was for the first time when I had shared with one of the other girls there, we were talking about how we were worried that we wouldn't be able to have kids one day because of what we had done to our bodies. I knew in that moment that it was a word directly from God because it was so specific and so personal to me. Everything changed and I knew God was real. I knew that He saw me. I knew that He cared about me.”

Jessica committed her life to Christ. Praying, reading The Word, and growing in her relationship with God soon replaced her unhealthy desires.

“God did deliver me from these eating disorders and just the grip it had over my life,” Jessica said. “I am just blown away by where I'm at and the freedom that I do have and the freedom that God has given me and blessed me with. I'm so, so thankful for how he has restored me – being able to have kids, being able to be strong and healthy. I am loved, and I am accepted. I am delighted in, and I am worthy. I am enough with Him.”