Out with the old and in with the new Born into a Christian family, I attended church weekly but did not have a personal relationship with God. So, the Christian walk wasn’t real to me. I was self-centered and did whatever came into my mind. I had my own plans, my own goals, and wanted to write my own story. It was all about me! My plans and goals didn't always work out the way I had planned. One specific goal was to attend graduate school after getting married. A door opened for me, but I had to decline because my husband and I decided to move to Florida. Later, when I tried to get back to pursuing my graduate education, doors did not open. I was getting impatient as I applied to other schools, to no avail. I didn’t know why this was happening. At the time, I was seeking God fervently because I wanted to know, "Why am I here in this world?" I knew that there had to be a purpose for my being. I also started questioning parts of Scripture I didn’t understand. I decided to meet with my pastor to ask about these pressing questions. He explained to me that to understand the Bible, I needed to know the Author of the Bible. He also referred me to specific Bible verses, and he told me to ask God to reveal its meaning to me. I followed his advice. I began to understand some things and others were still a mystery, but I trusted God’s word and had peace in my heart. That was in 1992 when I received Christ into my life and professed Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I decided to take it a step further and get baptized. After receiving Christ, my life began to change slowly. My attitudes, my words and my actions started to change. I found selflessness replacing my selfishness and I started living to serve others. I realized I am only here a short time, and I want every moment to count. It is a joy to submit my will to His will. I find that when I trust God to direct my steps, I let go of my plans and this gave me tremendous peace. So, it’s out with the old me and in with God and the new me. 2 Corinthians 5:17 sums up my new life. It states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” To this day, God continues to change me and to surprise me by leading me to do new things in my life. Back then, I had thought the Lord had closed the door to higher education for me but today, I am in the process of finishing my PhD in Education even as I serve as a faculty in the College of Nursing.