Puzzle Pieces

Addie's comments today about our "styles" of posting here at CCC made me remember that CJ and I were talking about this a week or so ago. I told her that whenever God brings a new person into my life I always wonder to myself, "What is it that this person is going to teach me or give to me that I don't already have?" I know he's dropping them in my lap for a reason so I look forward to seeing how all the pieces of my relationship with them are going to come together.

I know we've all probably noticed how much our writing here has changed since we first we started this bookclub. At first we were kind of staunch and proper - analyzing things like we were being graded on them. Little by little, we grew to know we were going to be accepted no matter what we found waiting for us in each chapter and we began to let our guard down some. CJ and I shared about our friends that had died of AIDS. Addie came out with her personal revelations about living with OCD and being pregnant (!!!) and Claire has talked about her mom and her relationship with Jesus...

In other words, we went from being four strangers to being four friends.

I think if you had put the four of us in a room and we didn't know anything about each other other than we are all Christians, we would have been hard pressed to find something in common, but look at us now! He's grown us into a group of women that really care about and learn from each other. We're experiencing viewpoints that are outside our normal "comfort zone" and looking at things from a whole new perspective - even if we decide to stick with what we felt and believed before we had a particular discussion. These entries have stretched our minds, our hearts and our imaginations and - most importantly - I think they've helped to stretch our faith a bit, too.

So, now I know why you are all here with me. CJ pushes me to see outside the box. Claire teaches me things I might never learn for years yet with her unbelievable catalog of knowledge! Addie shows me what it's like to see the world through the eyes of someone that has never been unaware of God's presence in her life and how she can still be challenged to grow - even after all this time. These are all three perspectives of life with God I never would have had before I "met" you all. I think it's incredible that He uses us to connect to Him and, in doing so, connect to one another.

Maybe we should rename the blog "Pieces of the Puzzle?" :-)