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 a Foot Care Specialist at Shorehaven Senior Facility.
