A Story of Hope

Hope Does Not Disappoint

"Suffering produces hope...and hope does not disappoint."  -  Apostle Paul.  

Hope can be defined as the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.  It's believing that the best is yet to come.  

Hope holds a special place in the hearts of our family.  Let me explain...

Hope For the Best, Prepare for the Worst

Brittney and I want to have another baby.  I know what most of you are thinking - get a new hobby!  You already have enough kids!  

We currently have three kids - ages five, three, and one - but we want to have four.  It's always been our dream.  We are hoping to have a girl so that we will end up with two boys and two girls.  

Over the summer we have been trying.  

In July we were blessed to find out our (my?) hard work paid off - Brittney was pregnant.  We were so overjoyed.  We couldn't wait to welcome this new little life into the world.  

On July 30 I took our youth group to the Jesus Culture conference in Long Beach, CA.  It was an incredible experience.  The first night I was overwhelmed by the faith of the people and was humbled when a man sitting next to me laid hands on me and spoke words of encouragement.  I couldn't wait to see what God was going to do next.  

The next morning I arrived early at the conference center.  I walked by all of the booths that were set up in the lobby.  One caught my eye: The Giving Keys.  I loved the look of their key necklaces as well as their heart for paying it forward.  When I saw their prices I wasn't stunned, but I did take a moment to weigh whether it would be worth buying one for Brittney and one for myself.  

Then I got a call.  

"Hello?"  I said.  

"Hi honey, it's me."  

"What's up?"  I asked.  

"I have some bad news.  I think I lost the baby...." 

The voice on the other line began to cry.  "Oh no," I thought, "not again."  

I knew what my wife was going through.  Before having our third child we suffered a miscarriage.  It was very difficult to get through.  Now we were going through it again.  

"I'm so sorry."  I said.  

I stayed on the line with her and let her vent.  I listened as she shared her hurt.  We cried.  We prayed. We cried again.  We trusted that God had a purpose for this pain.  

"Do you want me to leave the conference and come home?"  I asked.  

She said even though she would love that, she felt it was important for me to stay with our students and pour into them.  

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes."    

I still felt like there was something I was supposed to do.......

Hope for the Hurting 

I hung up the phone and got up from my chair.  

I was a mess.  Tears were streaming down my face.  I felt like I had been blindsided.  I slowly walked over to The Giving Keys booth.  

I knew what I was supposed to do.  

If you are not familiar with the way The Giving Keys works, let me explain:  

Basically, you pick out a style of necklace that you like, as well as a key.  On the key you choose a word that is meaningful to you.  A word that maybe you want fulfilled in your life.  A word that you are dreaming about.  You wear it, and once that word has been fulfilled in your life, you pass it on to someone else who needs it more.  

I walked to their booth to pick out a key for both Brittney and I, and a word that would minister to our hearts.  I felt like it was the least I could do for the way Brittney was feeling.  

When I got to the table, the volunteers knew something was wrong.  

"Can I help you with anything?"  They asked.  

"Um...ya...I'm just...looking for a word," I muttered.  

"Are you ok?" 

"I'm...um...well...not really."  I admitted.  

From there I just broke down.  I told them about my situation.  I told them about my phone conversation.  I told them about what I was looking for.  I cried as I explained everything.  

The volunteers were so gracious.  And I'll never forget what they told me: 

"Listen, we want to help you.  We would like to give you these keys for free.  It's our gift to you.  It's what we are all about."  

I couldn't believe it.  I was so overwhelmed by grace.  I remembered that suffering leads to hope, and hope never disappoints.  

"Thank you guys so much.  Seriously.  I don't know what to say.  This will mean so much to my wife.  I can't thank you enough."  I said with tears in my eyes.

I picked out our keys.    

And I chose the word: "hope"

Hope Never Ends 

I love the passage of Scripture that says, "As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away...but three things will last forever - faith, hope, and love." (1 Cor. 13:9, 13).  

I chose the word "hope" for two reasons: first, because we have hope that the baby we lost is now in heaven, waiting for us, because Jesus conquered death; and second, because we have hope that Brittney will get pregnant again.  

And hope came sooner than we expected.  

Only one month after receiving the bad news that we had lost our baby, we received the best news that Brittney was expecting.  

We are hoping for a girl.  And the plan is to name her Macy Marie Hope Richards.  

Never give up on hope.