After being arrested when an $87.26 check for groceries bounced, Sheena Meade learned firsthand the harsh impact having an arrest on one’s record can have—from employment to housing to education to even volunteer opportunities. But Sheena also experienced the transforming effects of those willing to offer her a chance, enabling her “to be able to walk into a room and feel seen, not as damaged goods, but as untapped potential.”
Sheena’s story shows that how a person is seen and evaluated by others can have a significant impact on the trajectory of their life. In the gospel story of God’s love, we learn to see each person, not as damaged goods but as someone of priceless value and potential. The apostle Paul wrote that Christ’s death “for all” (2 Corinthians 5:15) changes how we see each other. Because every person is someone Jesus died for, we’re to “regard no one from a worldly point of view” (v. 16).
When we feel defined by or even damaged by our past, we can take refuge in Christ, who makes us new. For “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (v. 17). Through Christ, we’re invited into fellowship and intimacy with God (v. 20), and into a life where we can serve with purpose in His kingdom. Every day, God welcomes us into a new life with Him.
