Staring
Grace In The Face
By Karen D’Amore
“The grace of our
Lord was poured out on me abundantly…”
1 Timothy 1:14a
It
was a forty-plus-year addiction. Not one of the more common or familiar
addictions, like tobacco, alcohol or drugs…but rather, a sun addiction! In the
course of that addiction, I never considered the consequences. I can still hear
my mother voicing her concerns, “I’m afraid you’re going to die from skin
cancer.” My flippant response, “well, at least I’ll go down brown,” didn’t
humor her!
The
first skin cancer diagnosis stunned me. The tumor was on my lip and I couldn’t
escape its presence staring back at me in the mirror. Paralyzed with fear, I
didn’t want to face the consequential realities of my lifelong addiction. After
numerous surgeries, months of painful radiation treatments, repetitive
biopsies, and years of perpetual fear and concern…my sun worshipping addiction
is behind me. But every time I look in the mirror, I witness the toll of that
lifelong addiction. My skin has been destroyed!
The scars, wrinkles and sun spots recount a wordless autobiography.
Dismayed by my self-induced destruction, the mirror reflects my shame. As I
stare my consequences in the face, my reflection whispers, “You’re reaping what
you sowed.” My heart groans with regret as I resign myself to forever live with
the harsh residuals of my idol.
Recently,
I was selected by a medical esthetician to be a test model for several
restorative skin procedures. Unfamiliar with the process and procedures, I
didn’t know what to expect. As the before and after photos speak for
themselves, my face beams with renewal, leaving me speechless. I could have
never afforded this costly, complimentary gift of services. A gift which has
reversed years of damage and addictive destruction, leaving my skin transformed
with newness of life. This undeserving gift was truly a gift of grace…the unmerited favor of God.
Through
a frightening cancer diagnosis, God drew me to face my deadly addiction. And through a lengthy cancer battle,
God delivered me from that addiction. Unable
to escape the perpetual reminder of
that addiction, the haunting consequences plagued me daily
in the mirror. But as God extended His gift of grace…restoring my damaged
face…I now look into the mirror…and rejoice as I stare grace in the face.
"I don’t understand the mystery of
grace
only that it meets us where we are
but doesn’t leave us
where it found us.”
—Anne Lamott (1)
GOING DEEPER:
1.
Consider the many ways that God has shown you grace and express your gratitude
to Him.
2.
Is there someone in your life in need of your grace? How can you extend it to
them?
FURTHER READING:
(1)
www.tentmaker.org
Married
to Dan, Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at
Craig Berns Salon. She’s a leader for
Oakwood’s Tuesday a.m. Bible Study and a volunteer at the Wildlife In Need
Center.
