In college, I found the guy I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. We began a beautiful relationship, but only a few months in, he unexpectedly passed away. I was shocked, devastated, and confused. This is not how it was supposed to go. I was so hopeful that he was the one, so when he died, it felt like my hope died with him. The following year, my mentor challenged me to read a book called Hope Heals, because although I was healing, my hope had not yet been fully restored. After finishing the book, I saw a display of Giving Keys. I knew what they were, and there was only one that said HOPE. I stared at the key for about 5 minutes before I realized that I needed to buy it. Throughout that year, my hope was restored, not because of the key, but because I finally believed Romans 5:3-5 again - "Hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts." I knew I needed to keep my eyes open for someone to give my key to. This fall, one of my friends had a miscarriage after years of trying to get pregnant. She felt like her hope died. I felt the Lord compel me to share my story with her and give her my key. So I wrote her a letter and told her the truth that I realized - that hope is not contingent on circumstance. We have hope in Christ that anchors our souls. Today, as I see her wear it, I'm so grateful for my story, the hope that I've discovered, and the joy it is to share with others.
-Brittany
