I am currently involved in something I have never done before....an online bible study. I've done many different bible studies over the years - but never one online. Since my current small group is on a summer hiatus, I had the time to do this study.
An old high school friend of mine who lives in Virginia is the person who invited me to join this online group. She is on staff at a church in Virginia, and she and I reconnected through Facebook a few years ago. I also follow her blog online. I was both skeptical and curious about how it would work, but curiosity won out and so I decided to join.
First of all, let me say the bible study itself is amazing. I would recommend it to anyone. Secondly, I really feel that God positioned me to do this study at this time. The study is about loss, and everyone living has experienced loss of some sort. Mine happens to be the loss of my marriage. Many of the women in this group have experienced losses of different types, but I have been able to connect with women who have walked this road before me, and their honesty and transparency about this journey has hit me full force. I have gained new empathy and admiration for these women, as I have read words from these strangers which resound in my heart and seem so familiar. They are no longer strangers to me, but now friends. God has really used our discussions and posts to renew my spirit with joy and hope when I seem to be lagging in those areas. More importantly, I have realized that I am not alone in my journey, which is a feeling I struggle with at times. As for the women in the group who have experienced losses of a different sort, I have gleaned and learned alot from them as well. It's been an important reminder to me that we really need to invest in the people that are in our lives. We need to get to KNOW them...to know their life stories...both past and current.
We are all uniquely and individually made....and yet, we are all so similar in so many ways.
Today I am grateful for:
1. My friend, Beth, who asked me to participate.
2. God revealing new things to me about relationships: the people in my life now, and those I have yet to meet.
3. God repositioning my life for new experiences.
