A
New Woman
By Karen D’Amore
Therefore, if anyone
is in Christ, he is a new
creation; old things have passed away;
behold, all things
have become new.
2
Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV, emphasis added)
As
my fortieth high school reunion grew near, I spent hours flipping through the
pages of my senior yearbook. In an effort to refamiliarize myself, I studied
pictures and re-read classmates’ personal inscriptions. Because I’ve rarely
reflected on that period of life, it was somewhat a blur. But that reflection
process illuminated the contrast between who I was…and who I am today!
Relocating
to a new city, I began my first year of high school a stranger to most. Unlike junior
high, where I was active in sports, cheerleading, service clubs and student
council, I refrained from such activities. My unique style of dress and
mysterious loner-like eccentricity impelled students to notice me…yet not
really know me. My involvement in a local church
translated into “religious-ocity” versus a personal identification with Jesus.
As a deep introspective thinker, the maturity of my life-thoughts distanced me
from my peers. My passion for writing spurred involvement with the school newspaper
and yearbook. And as editor of our senior yearbook…the book became my voice to
unlocking the mystery of “me.”
Other
than a handful of Facebook connections, I haven’t stayed connected to the
majority of my classmates. After much introspection and prayer, the decision to
attend this particular reunion was prompted by God. As I considered the years
that bridged time between the girl I was back then and the woman I am today,
the contrast is as different as night and day.
The
woman I am today is not the result of anything manufactured by me: not hard
work, education or personal successes. I am who I am today because of the
miraculous work of a loving and merciful God. Because of my personal
relationship with Jesus, I’m a new woman, being continually molded into the
image of Jesus. My motive for attending this reunion was for the express
purpose of displaying the transforming work of our Lord. As classmates would be
drawn to remember the girl in the picture on my nametag, my hope was that they
would linger just long enough to see the contrast in the woman I am today.
With
the reunion now behind me, I’m praising God for the opportunity to show Him
off! In the process of reconnecting with old friends/acquaintances and meeting
some new, God orchestrated opportunities to share my transforming faith
journey. Reliving that journey served as a valuable reminder that I’m nothing
without Jesus - - but because of Him - - I’m a “new creation…the old things
have passed away…behold, all things have become new.”
GOING DEEPER:
1. How can you better reflect the “newness” of
who you are in Christ?
FURTHER READING:
Married
to Dan, Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at
Craig Berns Salon and Foot Care Specialist at Shorehaven Senior Facility. She’s
on the Oakwood Women’s Ministry Special Events planning team.
