I planned to lead a women’s study beginning early March. Around Christmas, I began to plan where it would be, what days we’d meet, and so on. I considered adding an online option for people who couldn’t meet weekly. It would provide limited contact, but it was better than nothing for people unavailable to regularly meet face-to-face.

As January passed, I began to reconsider for a variety of reasons. I sensed God leading me to focus completely on the online study. That seemed a bit counter-intuitive to me. I thought perhaps God was protecting me from over-committing, since March through mid-April demand the most work hours of me. But whatever the reason was, I was confident I should shift to an online platform, so I created a private Facebook group and began to invite people.

Someone expressed concern that people might choose the keep their distance by choosing an online study instead of meeting people face to face. Of course, that was a possibility, but I was confident there would be benefits for those who would opt in for a variety of reasons.

By the time we started, we had over one hundred women from a half-dozen states.

We began the first Sunday of March. By that time, we were aware of COVID-19, but it hadn’t directly impacted most our lives yet. Two weeks would change that. By the time most of us were instructed to shelter-in-place as much as possible, we were in a routine of meeting online. We had to cancel or adjust other gatherings, but this was a weekly commitment we could keep as is.

Yes, meeting weekly online has its challenges, but it’s also steeped in blessings, especially through this odd season of minimal contact with others.

I had no idea what God was up to when he shifted plans for the study, but I’m certainly thankful he did.

Listen well. He is often providing and preparing in ways you might never realize.