L. McNeill

When I started the Restore program I was very nervous since I had always had difficulty losing weight. In addition, I had trouble exercising due to an old ankle injury and I wondered whether this program could work for me. I was also nervous about working with a consultant, fearful of being judged or of not having any say in what I ate. All these fears were unfounded, I discovered, as I watched the Lord work in my life through the Restore program. My consultant was patient, prayed regularly with me, and had an uncanny ability to quote just the right scripture at the right time. I benefited greatly from her knowledge and from the accountability for my eating choices through keeping a food diary. As I began to lose weight and inches I was relieved and felt more confident that my body could actually let go of excess pounds. I wasn't destined to be fat, as I had often felt.

But my most important loss was not physical. I lost some of my deeply held attachment to food. Even before Restore, the Lord had begun to deal with my idolatry of food. Now through the program he worked in my heart to love Him more and to see that His love for me will not allow me to eat myself to death. His heart-cleansing deepened my discernment and has changed my walk with Him. Now, the Lord has given me opportunities to share these things with friends who are changing their eating habits as well. One of my friends has even been able to get off diabetes medicine!

I hear God calling his children to bodily stewardship and I have personally experienced the blessing of answering the call. I pray that those whom God leads to read my testimony will be encouraged to follow Him, knowing that "The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him" (Psalm 25:14) I've heard it said, "Those who fear the Lord fear nothing else, but those who do not fear the Lord fear everything else." I started the program with fear of failure, judgment, weight gain... But I'm graduating with a deeper fear of the Lord and renewed excitement to learn the secrets He illuminates as we walk together.