How to Stop “Trying Harder” and Start Actually Healing

 

Why Faith, Not Force, Is the Key to Food Freedom

Before We Dive In…

💛 Ready to stop white-knuckling your healing?
Come join the Food Freedom & Body Image Support for Christian Women Facebook group — my free online community for women who are tired of striving, pretending, and doing it all alone.

This is your safe place to break free from body shame and food guilt, find Jesus in the journey, and connect with other women who get it.

That Time I Baked Bread Without Yeast and It Flopped

Okay friend, picture this: I’m in my kitchen, trying to bake this beautiful loaf of homemade bread for my church’s first-grade Sunday class.

I followed the recipe (or… at least I thought I did 😅). I mixed, I kneaded, I baked.

And what came out of that oven?

A dense, Play-Doh-textured blob that could’ve doubled as a doorstop. Why?
Because it didn't have any yeast in the recipe — the one ingredient that makes the bread rise and come to life.

And as I stood there, laughing at my sad little lump of flour and water, it hit me…

Trying to heal your relationship with food and body image without Jesus is like trying to bake bread without yeast.
It might look okay from the outside, but it lacks the life-giving ingredient that brings true transformation.

💭 Ever Felt Like You Were Doing Everything "Right” but Deep Down, it Still Didn’t Feel Like Enough?”

Maybe you’ve been in a season where you’re trying SO hard:

• You’ve got your meal plan
  
  
• You say the affirmations
  
  
• You avoid the “bad” foods (even though you’re craving them)
  
  
• You tape Bible verses to the fridge
  ...and yet, deep down, you’re still exhausted. Still anxious. Still stuck.
  
  

Friend, I’ve been there. And I want to let you in on something that changed everything for me:

“Be still, and know that I am God” - Psalms 46:10

Let’s break down what this actually means — and how it can shift your entire healing journey.

What Does “Cease Striving” Really Mean?

✨ Striving is our default — but it’s not what God commands.

Let’s zoom out on Psalm 46:10 and look at the verses around it:

“Come, behold the works of the LORD… He makes wars cease… He breaks the bow and shatters the spear… Be still [cease striving], and know that I am God.”

This chapter isn’t written during a Pinterest-perfect, peaceful season. It’s written during chaos. Wars. Conflict. Noise.

And in the middle of it all, God says:
“Stop. Let go. I’ve got this.”

The Hebrew word used here for “cease striving” is raphah — it means to sink, relax, loosen your grip.
(Yes, even when your brain is screaming, “But I need to fix this!”)

🧠 Imagine you're in a spiritual tug-of-war with yourself — pulling with all your might to fix your body, control your food, make everything perfect… while God is calmly on the other side saying, “You don’t need to do this anymore. Let go.”

🙋‍♀️ Here’s the truth:
Many women believe freedom will come from doing more — another diet, another “clean eating” rule, another 30-day challenge.

But that’s not how true healing works.

Jesus Doesn’t Ask You to Hustle for Healing

🛑 Trying harder won’t set you free — trusting Jesus will.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28

Let’s be honest — how many times have you felt weary and burdened by your relationship with food?

You’re not alone.

What Jesus invites us into isn’t a new to-do list. It’s rest.
Not just physical rest, but soul-deep exhale kind of rest.

🏃‍♀️ Hustling your way to healing is like running on a treadmill that’s secretly unplugged. You’re sweating, straining, doing ALL the things… but you’re not getting anywhere.

Freedom isn’t found in flawless discipline. It’s found in surrender.

Without Jesus, You’re Managing Symptoms — Not Healing the Root

Let me tell you what I’ve seen time and time again with my clients — and experienced myself:

If you're only addressing your behaviors (like food choices, meal plans, or body checking) but never addressing the beliefs underneath… you’ll burn out.

🚫 You weren’t created to carry the weight of healing alone.
🕊️ You were created to walk with the One who offers His strength in exchange for your weakness.

🍞 The Bread Story — A Lesson from First Grade and Flour

Back to that sad loaf of bread…

When I explained to those precious first graders why the bread was a flop, it became the perfect object lesson.

Faith — just like yeast — isn’t a bonus feature.
It’s the essential ingredient.

Without it, you’re just stuck in a cycle of behavior modification that looks okay on the outside but never creates real, lasting change.

🙏 Faith isn’t the cherry on top of healing. It’s the bedrock.
Without Jesus, you’re managing symptoms. With Him, you’re healing at the root.

So… How Do You Actually Stop Striving?

✋ 1. Start by asking yourself: What am I trying to control?

That need to “do better”? That fear of gaining weight? That anxiety around food choices?
Those are signs of a deeper struggle — and Jesus wants to meet you right there.

🙏 2. Make space to surrender — not just your habits, but your heart.

It’s not about giving up. It’s about letting go of the illusion that you’re the one who has to save yourself.

Read Psalm 46:10 again. Let it sink in. Reflect. Pray. Breathe.

📖 3. Invite Jesus into your healing process

He doesn’t want to be a side character in your food freedom story. He wants to be the foundation.

When you surrender your journey to Him, you’ll find peace that doesn’t come from perfect plans — but from the One who never changes.

✨ Quick Recap: 3 Takeaways for True Healing

1. Ceasing from striving isn’t giving up. It’s surrendering control to the One who never asked you to carry it in the first place.
   
   
2. Jesus offers rest — not more rules. Freedom isn’t found in hustle. It’s found in trust.
   
   
3. Faith is foundational. Don’t leave Jesus out of your healing. He’s the one who brings dead things to life.
   
   

💌 Want Support from Women Who Get It?

If this message hit home, come join us in the
🎉 Food Freedom & Body Image Support for Christian Women Facebook group
This is your safe, faith-filled space to stop striving and start healing — with a whole community cheering you on!

Until Next Time…

Friend, wherever you are on this journey, know this:

You’re not too far gone.
You don’t need to have it all together.
And you were never meant to do this alone.

✨ Keep chasing joy. Keep choosing freedom.
And I’ll see you inside the group 💛

With grace & freedom,

Brittany Braswell, MS, RDN, LD

Registered Dietitian | Faith-Fueled Food Freedom & Body Image Coach