How I Found My Way Back to God Through Weight Loss

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My life changed dramatically when I decided to take care of myself first. I started pursuing bariatric surgery, left an abusive marriage, got my life together and lost 235 pounds in the process. Through it all, my body and mind became refreshed and renewed but so did my soul. After praying for my surgery, I decided to attend my parent’s church. It changed me. I found redemption and forgiveness when I so desperately needed it. I found my way back to God. Losing weight allowed me to step into the person I was always meant to be: a child of God.

Life Before Surgery

I was always a child of God, but I hadn’t fully stepped into what that meant until after my bariatric surgery. Before surgery, I hadn’t attended church in years. Growing up, especially in elementary and middle school, I attended church regularly. I participated in our youth group, went to church camp, and participated in the Christmas pageant each year. As I hit high school, church became less of a priority. Then I went to college, and church didn’t even really exist in my life. I always considered myself a Christian who believed in the birth and resurrection of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. However, I wasn’t very active in my faith.

As an adult after college, I never returned to the church. I worried about the people who gossiped about why I wasn’t there rather than worrying about the need to save my soul. I picked up my Bible occasionally, and I prayed a generic prayer before bed most nights. However, I didn’t have a personal relationship with God. I felt so distant from God at that time, and I longed to be closer to Him, but I didn’t know how to do so. It’s no wonder that my life was a mess at that point because my soul was unsettled, which disrupted every aspect of my life.

The Turning Point

So when it came time for me to have my bariatric surgery, my parents asked their pastor to pray for me. The Sunday before my surgery, the entire church prayed for my safety through the surgery and to guide the surgeon’s hand through it. My parents told me about the prayer, and it touched me. A few weeks after surgery, I decided to attend church with my parents. I wanted to thank the pastor for praying for my surgery and wanted to see why a whole building of strangers prayed for me. My dad belonged to this church when he was a child, so my aunts, uncles and cousins also attended. But for the most part, I didn’t know these people.

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That Sunday was a turning point in my faith journey. I immediately felt like I was walking home. These strangers greeted me with handshakes and smiles. I hugged my aunts, uncles and cousins. In that big beautiful church, I felt God. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I belonged somewhere. These people didn’t care that I hadn’t been to church in years. They didn’t care about my past. They just loved that I joined them, that I was able to hear God’s word, and that I was worshiping with them.

Coming Back to God After Falling Away

I found my way back to God in that church. I found redemption in God’s amazing grace for the way I had been living before. After falling away from God for so long, I finally was able to run into His open, waiting arms and find the rest my soul desperately needed. I had a God-shaped hole in my heart. One I tried to fill with food, with people who took advantage of me, with alcohol or with spending money I didn’t have. It wasn’t until I asked God back into my heart and my life did that hole get filled.

Letting Go of Control

You see, my way back to God required me to travel some treacherous roads. For me to see just how amazing and loving God is, I lost myself. When I lost myself, I lost hope. I had to fight and claw my way back from the edge of despair to step into the shining light of God’s grace. Had I not gone through the things I endured: morbid obesity, an emotionally- and financially-abusive marriage, divorce, a job loss, identity theft, near bankruptcy, I wouldn’t have realized that I needed God to take the steering wheel. I realized I could no longer drive the car myself. Instead, I learned to become the passenger with God at the wheel.

Finding My Way Back to God

Luckily, God welcomed me with open arms and allowed me to rest in the passenger seat for the first time in my life. I started reading my Bible more regularly and have almost completed it from Genesis to Revelation. I read devotionals daily and partake in Bible study groups. One of my biggest and most profound ways I found my way back God was through my baptism. On April 21, 2019, 10 months after my bariatric surgery, I was baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. I walked out of that water a changed woman and walked into my new life as a child of God.

This baptism led me to became more involved in my church. I started to volunteer in the church library, which is just so much fun to me. Is there a better way for an organization-lover and book warm than a librarian? Another task I helped with was the costumes for the Christmas pageant. This task challenged me in so many ways, but I loved getting to know the people in my church more and helping out. I attended more church events. As my weight dropped, my faith grew bigger. My way back to God was found through my bariatric surgery.

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Lose Weight, Find God

Perhaps you are like I was. Lost. Desperately looking for something to fill that hole in your heart. Trying to fit food, alcohol, sex, drugs, shopping, gambling to fill that emptiness you feel. Without bariatric surgery, without a church of strangers praying for me, without losing weight and stepping into who God designed me to be, I would never be where I am today. I rely heavily on God now to direct my paths, to open doors I can’t see, to be a source of strength and forgiveness. You can find your way back to God too. You can fill that emptiness with God. Perhaps you need a sign. This is it. God is waiting for you with open arms. You just have to take that first step. Crawl if you must but make the first move.

Maybe losing weight won’t lead you back to God, but it led me back. I felt compelled to share my testimony of how my bariatric surgery led me to God. I pray and I hope that you are moved by the power of the Holy Spirit to let God fill that space in your heart. Join me to worship virtually by checking out our live stream. Let Him help you through your bariatric surgery journey. Lean on Him. He can handle it all. There is nothing too big or too hard for him. There is hope for you and your future:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” –Jeremiah 29:11-12

Hope For You

If you feel lost, like you are trying to fill something inside of you, I encourage you to pick up your Bible. Open it up to a random page and start reading. Proverbs is a great place to start, but so is Jeremiah and Job. Losing weight allowed me to step into the person I was meant to be: a child of God. I am a changed woman since I found my way back to God. Not only did bariatric surgery change my body and mind, but it also changed my soul. I can face the day because I know God is for me. Who can be against me? Finding your faith is personal and different for everyone. Begin your journey today. It’s worth it.

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In Summary

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