How to Stop Believing Lies About Your Body and Let Jesus Tell a Better Story with Chaplain Eva Bleeker
"The way that God breaks into our stories is shining light in dark places."
You have been telling yourself a story. About your body, your past, what you deserve, what you're worth, and what God thinks of you when you're struggling. And if you've been navigating eating disorders, disordered eating, or body image problems, there's a good chance that story has been a hard one. A painful one. One that has way more power over you than you ever realized.
That's exactly what Chaplain Eva Bleeker is here to talk about today, and friend, do not press stop just because we're about to use the phrase narrative identity theory. Because what Eva is really talking about is stories. The ones we tell ourselves. The ones we inherited from our families and diet culture, and the enemy himself. And the extraordinary possibility that Jesus is in the business of rewriting your story with love.
Dr. Eva Bleeker, known to many as Chaplain Eva, is a board-certified professional chaplain with a decade of experience in acute care hospitals, and she now serves as chair of chaplaincy and pastoral care at Denver Seminary. Eva brings both the credentials and the personal story. She grew up in the thick of 90s diet culture with a powerful, unexamined self-loathing for a body she now knows was a gift from God. She knew the gospel and could cite chapter and verse. But there was a cavern, her word, between what she believed about God's love and what she actually believed about herself. This conversation is her sharing how Jesus and the story work slowly to build a bridge across that chasm.
Here’s what we cover:
What narrative identity theory actually is, and why Eva calls it "the gospel hiding in a psychological theory"
The three components of every story we tell ourselves: the reconstructed past, the imagined future, and the present
Why painful stories about our bodies and disordered eating have far more power to shape us than positive ones, and what the research says about that
How shame and body image problems in Christian women are often rooted in stories we absorbed from family culture, without ever examining them
What it means that Jesus took on a human body, and why that theological truth is one of the most dignifying things Eva discovered in her own healing
The father-daughter connection: research on how a father's regard for women's bodies shapes a daughter's body image
How the myth of perfection keeps us trying to fix ourselves instead of letting Jesus do the work
What "redemptivity" and "generativity" mean, and why telling your hard story well is how it gets its mission back
Why healing from eating disorders and body shame cannot happen in isolation, and what a supportive community actually looks like
The practice of asking "what story am I telling myself?", and why it's a muscle that builds over time
Friend, if you have ever stood in front of a mirror and seen hatred looking back at you, or told yourself that God could use you more if only you could get it together first, Eva knows that place. So does Chrissy. And what this conversation makes beautifully clear is that Jesus is not waiting for you to fix the story before He shows up in it. He is already there, shining light in the dark places, ready to hand you a better one.
"You get better at it over time, at slowing down and saying, 'Is that a true story or is that a bad story? What's a better story? What is the Jesus story?'" — Dr. Eva Bleeker
Rewriting your story with Jesus is not a one-time event, and Eva is honest about that. She still has hard days. The healing is real and ongoing. But what she describes, being gently taken by the hand and walked out toward freedom, is available to you, too. One story and truth at a time. One moment of bringing Jesus into the hardest part of your narrative and letting Him speak into it.
The story you have been telling yourself is not the only story. And it is definitely not the truest one. If this episode resonated with you, would you share it with a friend who needs to hear that God is already in their story?
We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please drop us an email at admin@findingbalance.com, send us a voice message via SpeakPipe, or you can also subscribe for more practical episodes coming your way.
More About Dr. Eva Bleeker
Dr. Eva Bleeker, known to many as Chaplain Eva, is a trusted speaker, trainer, and mentor in the growing field of Narrative Theory and Story Work. A board-certified professional chaplain with a decade of experience in acute care hospitals, she now serves as Chair of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care at Denver Seminary. Her research sits at the intersection of pastoral care, narrative identity, and practical theology. She holds a Master of Science in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University, two Master of Arts degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a doctorate from Baylor University. Eva and her husband Josh live on Colorado's Front Range with a rescue dog named Ramsie Ruth, who is actually in charge at their house.
Hello Freedom Community
Our Hello Freedom community is launched! This is a Christ-centered space to find connection, encouragement, and gentle steps toward freedom from food and body-image struggles.
No pretending, no fixing yourself first, come just as you are. If you want in, your next step is to join us at findingbalance.com/community.
You were not meant to walk this alone. We're saving a seat for you!
Resources Mentioned
Book: Recalling Our Own Stories by Edward Wimberly
Related Episodes
OSFF Episode 34: Overcoming Food and Body Shame Through Old School Story Work with Kristen Bunger
Connect with Dr. Eva Bleeker
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CHRIST-CENTERED RESOURCES TO HELP YOU FIND FREEDOM
The Daily Vitamin eDevo: A free devotional with bite-sized truth emailed 5 days a week
Community Groups: Find connection with prayer groups and our Hello, Freedom! community.
Christian Treatment Finder: Connecting you with Christian providers experienced in treating eating issues.
Lasting Freedom Online Course: A Christ-centered, non-diet course to work through false beliefs about food and weight so you can live free from disordered eating and body image issues.
CREDITS
Interlude music by “Hotham” – Morning Thoughts
Intro music by “MokkaMusic” – Old Jeans (Funk)
Wrap-up music by Jesse Quinn – Christian Instrumental
Production & Editing by Leah Bryant Co
The content in this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prescribe a particular course of action. If you have, or suspect you may have, an eating disorder, please consult your healthcare provider. If you desire to receive faith-based care, visit ChristianTreatmentFinder.com to browse professionals with a Kingdom campaign against eating disorders.
