One year and 8 days ago, I received my first giving key as a gift. My word was HAVEN. I was told to keep it for at least a year. Personally, I feel that everyone should go through a process with their key. The process is simple: wear it, embrace it, rest in it, be reminded of it, and then pay it forward. A year later I realized that I was at the end of that process. It was time.
Last Tuesday during Jesus Culture's night of worship Jason Roy, the lead singer of Building 429, walked onstage. He mentioned his kids, and his daughter's name stood out to me: Haven. I felt a tug on my heart, and wondered if this was the person I was meant to give my key to. I immediately began praying about it and asked God that His will be done. Jason talked about how he's on tour for 150 days of each year, and I thought about how hard it must be for him and his family. I thought that his daughter might need a reminder that her dad is always thinking about her. So later on I went out and talked to him. He told me a sweet story about why he and his wife named their daughter Haven, and about how he got his own BREATHE key. Then I showed him my key and the word on it. He gasped and said how he couldn’t believe it, and that he had to get his daughter one as soon as he got home. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks and asked, “Do you want to trade keys with me?” I was amazed. I simply responded “Yes. Yes I do.”
The cool thing about this story is not only the fact that Jason got to take my HAVEN key home to his daughter, but also how God showed His faithfulness in this whole thing. I myself am in a season in my life where I definitely need the word BREATHE. I’ve been having to give up some things that are very precious to my heart. My key was one of them. But a friend pointed out to me what God did in this. As I was giving away my precious HAVEN key, God gave me one in return that is even better for me. Just as I payed it forward, it was returned to me in abundance. What a beautiful exchange.