*Post updated September 2022
Living in the Light
What I am about to share with you is one of the most revealing, honest, and personal parts of my story.
But first, I must confess…I fear your reaction. I fear that sharing this part of my story could be polarizing. The thought that the good seed of faith, hope, and love that God is planting here in His ministry of Revelation Wellness could be stolen by fear, shame, or guilt is almost too much for me to bear.
I give Him praise and honor for doing Gospel community here, in this ministry, which can only come through His presence. I have always hoped that EVERY BODY would know they belong in the love of God and that nobody is exempt from His love.
I fear that somebody may leave the table if I bare myself in this way. AND I have heard the Lord comfort me with His words of truth and grace: “Alisa, that is not your responsibility. You are responsible to me. I am responsible for your reputation. Live my word. Trust me with ALL of you.”
He is responsible for my reputation; I am only responsible for my “Yes, Father, I will.”
Since living His word is WHAT we’re all about in this ministry, there’s no more getting around John 1:17: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
Why I Share This Story
I am compelled to share this part of my story because…
1.) I want to be in the light with you and maintain honest, authentic community with you. Not sharing this story could easily be interpreted as me hiding in shame.
2.) God has done some amazing work IN me, and I want to shout his goodness from the rooftops. I want Him to be made famous!
3.) This part of my story has much to do with everything we are about at Revelation Wellness. It is freeing to share this with you, my family, friends, and community.
4.) I am certain…absolutely certain…that EVERY woman has fought, is fighting, or will fight this similar battle at some point in her life. Perhaps my story will help you battle well in the days ahead.
Over the next couple of weeks or so I will be sharing with you, my community, this part of my healing story and God’s glory. I welcome you to continue reading, but only if you can look to God right now and in your heart promise Him and promise yourself that you will not let fear, shame, guilt, condemnation, pride or judgment get a foothold in your life.
We work faithfully here at Revelation Wellness to plant the seed of true love in hearts; the seed that blooms into peace, wholeness, and well-being. I refuse to let the enemy come in and boss us around. My story will not be everyone’s story. And there’s power in our testimony. So who am I to sit on my testimony and hide what God has done?
“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” – Revelation 12:11
Okay. Did you make your promise? Can we hold this holy tension together?
Thank you.
Okay…here I go.
The love of God has been working, turning the soil, planting, and harvesting healing and wholeness in me for the past 17 years, and this was his latest move.
Seventeen Years Ago
Seventeen years ago, I was a young, sad, and angry, newly-married woman, desperate to be loved.
Seventeen years ago, Jesus found me. He came to me, lifted my head, and tenderly said, “Alisa, I love you. I have always loved you. Come follow me.”
Seventeen years ago, I said yes and fell in love with Jesus.
Fifteen years ago, I had breast implants put in.
Three weeks ago, I had those same breast implants removed.
Don’t be that impressed or offended. I had nothing to do with making that decision. NOTHING in me was capable of making that decision. The love of God has been working, turning the soil, planting, and harvesting healing and wholeness in me for the past 17 years, and this was his latest move.
A few months ago, it came to a new head.
Now keep in mind…when I had my implants put in, I was completely motivated by my brokenness.
I had lived most of my life immersed in the fitness world — a world I thrived in, yet a world filled with false ideas of perfection.
Though my body was primed for bodybuilding competitions, I still believed the lie that my body was not quite “there” yet.
What part of my body was missing the mark? My breasts.
No matter how hard I worked at it, I could not change this part of my body, so why not choose an act of self-improvement?
I dragged Jesus into that plastic surgeon’s office 15 years ago. I didn’t allow Him to have a say. I had convinced myself, and agreed with the world, that this was a good thing.
Enhancing myself was going to bring me much peace and pleasure. It was going to bring me enjoyment for myself AND my husband… whose love I wanted the most but couldn’t see that I already had.
So if it’s a good thing, why wouldn’t Jesus want this for me?
Love and Freedom
In the two short years between falling in love with Jesus and getting the implants, I heard the Gospel message. Two Gospel concepts that stood out to this recovering religious heart were the concepts of love and freedom, not fear and rules.
So since God loved me, that must mean I am free to choose something that I am sure will give me great pleasure. Heck, it’s not like I was going to become a stripper or anything. This was about “healthy” self-love. Surely God didn’t have a problem with this decision? Grace abounds, right?
Though I can clearly remember my conscience knocking loudly on the door of my heart the morning of implant surgery, begging me not to do it, I did it anyway.
It seemed right and kind of felt wrong. And God’s grace and mercy covered me on the other side.
There was ONE caveat that the doctor mentioned before surgery, “You will need to have these implants replaced every ten years or so. They don’t have a shelf life of forever.” Kind of like tires on a car, I thought to myself, they wear out.
That statement stuck with me. Always. But ten years seemed like a LONG way away, and for the time being, I was happy with my decision. I woke from anesthesia in April of 2000 to a brand new me. Looking down, these two new bumps on top of my heart seemed to give me a sense of power and peace I had never known.
Fast forward through 15 years of falling deeper and deeper in love with God.
Fifteen years filled with joy and suffering.
Fifteen years of Him loving me, calling me out of darkness and into His marvelous light.
Fifteen years of Him tugging, pulling, and uprooting things in my heart that never belonged there to begin with.
Fifteen years of joy.
Fifteen years of some deep and intense suffering.
I have always said this and will say it until the day I die…healing requires great, GREAT bravery. And since I know that God created me for the hard stuff, I never gave up on growth.
Year after year, layer after layer, he kept stripping me of me. The me that is my own worst enemy and not so great for others around me either.
Healing requires great bravery.
Alisa Keeton, Founder of Revelation Wellness is an author, speaker, and freedom bringer. Alisa’s life’s purpose is to make healthy disciples who make healthy disciples. She believes in the power of the Body Of Christ and its many unique parts making up one complete whole. Like any body, it grows best under tension. We are living in the best of times for tension. Let’s train!
51 Responses
I absolutely love and honor you Alisa. I had no idea I could hold any more admiration for you than before. But, BOOM, there ya go. You are loved and respected, and a mighty powerful example of living like Christ out loud. I will follow your story with admiration all while keeping guilt and self condemnation beyond arms length. My spirit tells me, oh how we know this story. Just don’t quite know how my version will end. Thank you Alisa, for being braver than brave and being that example.
Thank you Tina. The same bravery in me, is in you.
God is good!
Beauty, friend!! Love you!
Alisa, thank you for sharing this. Walking in the light is what God has been calling me to. He is answering my plea for a pure and undivided heart. It’s hard but good. This is amazing. Thank you.
You are so welcome. So glad it ministers to you Spirit. He’s good!
So very proud of you! A true testimony of you listening and then acting upon God’s truth. Finding our value in God and living that promise everyday can be very challenging but so worth it! I look at some things that brought me great pain as a child and now realize that it was God’s great love and protection over me.
AMEN!
Dear Alisa, thank you… for your courage to be… IN CHRIST… to shine with a light that, when others see your good works, they see Love Himself. Jesus. Please continue to share your journey… I know that I am inspired, encouraged, edified with your raw, authentic, real self… I’m so very honored to be sharing this journey with you from afar. I thank my God every time I think of you. Keep persevering! We’re in this all together, and God is faithful to finish what He began in us. Woooohooooo!………… Here we are, Father. Send us. Amen.
Lisa,
Thank you for walking with me in this new land. This once fallow ground is going to shoot forth new life, and new hope, for His glory. He’s worthy!
I love you Alisa Keeton. What you just did is further confirmation of your authenticity in Christ. You are walking his walk and for that he is well pleased…oh, faithful servant. You just wait and see what God has planned for you as a result of this testimony ! Hold on to your pantys sister the floodgates of heaven just opened up. Much love and respect Sandra
Lol. Holding my panties Sandy…I’m holding 🙂
Thank you Alisa for sharing this intimate part of your amazing life with God…you hit the target right on in my life .
Alisa, thank you so much for your transparency! It is in our willingness to bear it all, and surrender it all that great freedom comes!! I love that you and Revelation Wellness have become part of my life. God put me on a great healing path that started with the WL2LM program, and is continuing through another small group. Thanks so much for being an amazing and willing vessel for Christ!!!
Much love and blessings to you!
Sherri
Thank you for sharing your heart and for your courage to do so!! This story really resonated with me and I am greatly encouraged by it!
I thank God for the day I was attending Living Streams church and opened the bulletin (I was raised catholic) to read of a group called Revelation Wellness was hiking the Grand Canyon in September. Rim to Him 2013 became my prayer and focus! As a New Yorker and now recent Arizonan I had always had wishes of hiking the Grand Caynon. And now I had the opportunity to join God loving people for that physical as well as spiritual challenge.
I thank you Alisa for your faithfulness and vulnerability in God loving you and you loving God and your openness which helps me to understand that I must also be open and vulnerable so that I may have the life that God wants and has planned for me :). Gods Love is so much greater than our fear!!!!!
There you go…making me cry again. We are all broken people who so deperately need God’s grace and love in our lives. Even when we have it, it takes that sanctification process to help us understand what it is really like to be free in Christ.
Thank you for being faithful to share your experiences. God has used you to shine a light on the deepest, darkest parts of my very being and say, “Yes, Father, you are Lord of that, too.”
And I will be sharing this at our women’s ministry meeting ☝
brave woman…I’m so blessed to have been introduced to Revelation Wellness! I find it so strange that, only after I moved from Phoenix to Grand Rapids, God put me in your path. You, faithful servant, are such a beautiful and bold-in-the-soul testimony of the Grace and Freedom HE offers us. don’t. ever.stop.
hugs, gentle ones 🙂 from MI.
A woman after God’s heart. A princess warrior through and through. And such an example for the rest of us….an Esther of the 21st century. Willing to do the hard stuff, publicly and humbly. So blessed to be mentored by you Alisa. I love you.
So. Beautiful. Thanks sister.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful testimony, and being so transparent in your brokenness. I am so thankful to the Lord for His faithful leading in bringing me to a renewed zeal for health and fitness – #faithandfitness style. Our “health & fitness” in Him is the priority, and any health & fitness manifested on the outside, should be a reflection of our health & fitness in Him! Thanks for being willing to obey Him and to do hard things. So blessed by your ministry! Counting the days until 2016 when I will be able/available to receive my Instructor Training through Revelation Wellness. To God be the Glory!
You lead us well, Alisa Keeton. ♡
What authentic beauty! Thank you for continuing to share your witness, Alisa. I am so grateful to have you as a sister in Christ on this journey! God bless you!
Alisa, I’ve been following you and Revelation Wellness for sometime now, and I am so so grateful for this blog post. Your honesty in all of your posts/emails/writings is both comforting and sobering. You call each of us out to a real and authentic journey, but you are doing it with us, which is where the comfort comes in. Love your heart, the ministry that God is leading through you, and your courage and bravery to go forward with Him.
Love the truth and rawness of this post, thanks for being brave and real.
Deuteronomy 31:8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord is the one who goes before you. He will be with you he will never fail you nor for sake you.
Alisa, You are my answer to my prayers. I have been struggling with my weight the last 15 years (I am now 60 and way too overweight). I did the WL2FM the winter of 14 and it so hit home. Since then due to many circumstances, I have back slid and have been struggling to leave everything in God’s hands and have him heal me. I did not come from the fitness world and often times with the Rev Wellnes, I love it, but it get a bit overwhelming for me because I have become so deconditioned. The begining of the year, I again have surrendered myself to God’s mercy, and have been trying to leave everything in His hands. This spring, several people at my work have had bariatric surgery and look and feel great. I then start thinking that maybe I could help God along a little and should check this out – and I came up with all the reasons why this could be a good thing, but there was always a part of me that it just didn’t feel right. Like you, I am not standing in judgement of anyone, God has a different plan for each of us. A couple of weeks ago, I begged God to please give me a clear direction as to what is right for me. He has led me to some vague things, but this blog locked in my confirmationi that I need to wait on God, allow Him to do the work and wait for His timing as He heals my inside and helps me put one foot in fromt of the other. So, once again Alisa, as it has so many times in the past 18 months, you have given me direction, support and I feel the love that you emit – even over electronics. Continue to do your work, I think there are a lot of people like me out here in the wings that are soaking it up. Love you.
Hello Nancy,
I am so honored he would use this, for such a time as this. You have made a hard and holy decision. Trusting Him feels so risky and it’s the only path to true freedom. I know a few people who had opted for bypass, and to be quiet honest, they haven’t had great LONG term success because Jesus redefines success. It’s impossible to live in the Kingdom and abide to this world’s ideals. At some point it just breaks. And a few have had terrible side-effects and pain they learn to live with. Jesus will do this for you! I believe and am agreeing. Renew your vows with Him today. Go back through WL2FM and let Him speak. He’s not done loving the hell out of us 🙂 – peace
58 and have never felt my body was enough; thin enough, fit enough, pretty enough. Thank you for this testimony.
Healing requires great GREAT bravery. Oh yes it does my sweet Alisa. Thank you for your bravery. Love you
Amen, Beloved of Jesus!
I am speechless! On a much lesser level, but maybe not…This same reason, God being in control and loving me as I am, is why I no longer color my hair or wear false nails/lashes! ( And I have worked in the salon industry for 27 years!!!) My husband constantly tells me, that I am more beautiful than ever. And you know what, I believe him because I don’t critizemyself if I’m not done up all perfect! God is SO good!
God IS truly amazing!!! I’m so proud of you for allowing Him to guide and direct your steps and for sharing!!! Thank you and may God bless you 🙂
Powerful. Beautiful. Thank you for being brave. Our God is faithful!
Thank you, Lara. Takes a bold one to recognize another bold one 🙂
You are God’s girl, Alisa. Make my Love>Fear tshirt all the more meaningful. By the way, I get tons of compliments on that shirt. It speaks to people and they all want one.
Thanks for sharing your incredibly well written, well communicated testimony. The love of Jesus you have shared with us in complete humility will resound through the community and bring healing to many. Not only those that felt the same way but for those opposite of the situation longing for a reduction. You are appreciated and loved.
I love this story. It has quickly become one of my very favorites. So many layers. Such depth. So many endless ways to touch and bless women world wide. Thank you for being His vessel, Alisa Keeton. The Lord will surely be using this in powerful ways for years to come. Bless your bold soul, friend!
For the first time I finally heard a story so much like mine. I too got my breast implants removed 7 years ago. And how the Lord led me to do just that. I always tell people this is my story and I don’t tell it to make people feel bad for getting implants. But at the same time I hope it makes them rethink their decision as to why they want them. I am surrounded by women who have gotten them and a few I know of right now who are really debating on getting implants put in, because they feel they aren’t beautiful enough. Makes me sad. I hope they get the same revelation I did. That you did. That they are beautiful, and are good enough.
Thank you so much for sharing your story. Blessed me so much. You are a beautiful women of God. Inside and out. Keep up the good work!
Thanking God for you and your courageous testimony!! Your story resonates with me and my journey. True healing and freedom are inspiring…only God! You’re making him famous :).
Authentic and real. Your johari window has little hidden space. Such personal insight is a grace from Abba Father. Most of us run from such acute insight to self never realizing the blessing of Jesus’ gentle way of introducing us to ourselves. Alisa darling I love you more than ever.
Wayne,
Thank you, brother. It’s been a journey into the beautiful unknown. He’s so very smart and kind. Smarter and kinder than we could ever be to ourselves 🙂 Love you. Say hi to Mary for me!
Hi Alisa,
Thank you for sharing your journey with us. I LOVE God stories and I am riveted by yours. Makes me love & admire you all the more. Affirms my confirmation that I need to do Rev Well training & be a part of your beautiful community.
I just have to tell you that when I was at HY Retreat in May I was drawn to you. I loved your enthusiasm, your love for the Lord, your excitement and thought wow – I hope that shows thru to the people I am ministering to. I wasn’t drawn to your physical it was His Light shining thru you that captivated me.
You are BEAUTIFUL. So thankful for your heart!!
Well thanks Missy! I look forward to the day we are “moving in love” together. Same light in me…is in you 🙂
OH MY GOD, YOUR POST IS SO TOUCHING. I AM CONSIDERING TO GET BREAST IMPLANTS BUT NOW I AM NOT SO SURE, THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME INSIDE YOUR WORLD.
I am so glad I am friends with a Rev Well instructor. Once I opened up about my journey with Breast Implant Illness she told me about this blog and podcast. I relate to so much of what was said and scheduled for surgery in April after 6 years of unknown symptoms. Praising God for the provision and wisdom from others that have gone before me. Thanks for being real and willing to share.
Thank you for sharing, Jessica! You are in the right place!