It has become a big thing in the racer community, and honestly the Christian community as a whole to wear key necklaces. These necklaces have been around for a while, but it seems like as of recently they blew up and became very popular. These are a very simple concept, just engraved keys, laced through a chain, with some kind of engraved word on one side. Sometimes it’s a word that people pick for themselves and sometimes it’s a word that is prayed over and gifted to the person. These keys follow people through their life and then when they have unlocked that door to the kingdom through their faith journey, they can gift the key to another person when they feel called. It’s become a tender tradition that is on the up and up for the young Christian generation.
A few months ago I bought my first key, I picked my word and my font, and I felt a lot of excitement and joy around this key in the weeks leading up to its delivery to my front porch. It was engraved with a simple reminder;
“abide”
All lowercase, short and sweet. I wore this key loud and proud on a long chain.
Throughout my summer this key served its purpose, it helped remind me of my why, and remember to abide in the Lord’s timing and His plan for me. it brought God forward in my mind so that I was conscious of Him throughout everything I did. I found a lot of delight radiated from this key, and I was very proud to wear it
About halfway through my first week in Costa Rica the chain of my key busted.
Completely broken, for no reason. I had accidentally pulled on it previously on several different occasions, but this time there was no pull, no tugging at the chain or tension to cause a snap, nothing. My key fell on the sidewalk in front of me, and the broken chain just laid next to it. It was dark out and we were in a hurry to get inside so I scooped up my fractured necklace and decided to look at it later. Long story short, the chain was unfixable and I decided to just braid some black string together and create a new necklace. and it was utterly fine. Adequate and completely sufficient for keeping my key around my neck where it belonged. I had planned on getting a new chain the first opportunity I got, whether that be in America when I get home in nine months or in some kind of street market I visit during my time abroad.
Broken chains are referred to a lot in the scripture, the Lord freeing people of there sins and bringing them forward into redemption in Christ. Psalms, in particular, touches this a lot, for example, Psalm 107:13-14 says;
“Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and he delivered them from their distress.
He brought them out of the darkness and the shadow of death
And broke their bands apart.”
It’s funny the way God will do big works in your life without you even having a clue that He has begun pressing into you.
A few days after my necklace snapped, we had our squad wide activation lesson for the week. This lesson was taught by some of our elders that watch over the base in Costa Rica and it was all about listening prayer. Learning to tune our minds to hear the voice of God. After the lesson, we got the opportunity to sit with our teams and pray over one another and listen to what God had to say to them.
And in all honesty. I was hesitant to be prayed over, I don’t like the spiritual attention to be on me in groups, this is probably out of fear or insecurity. Eventually, it got to me being in the hot seat of my group, and almost immediately my world race mentor had a huge smile on her face and she told me she heard the Lord saying that He loved me. My squad leader jumped in and said she was hearing the same thing from the Lord. That he just had an unbelievable amount of love for me, and she felt this to the extent that she was being called to gift me her key.
It’s on a black cord with silver detailing, and the gold key displays the word
“beloved”
Tears streaming down my face, I accepted the key and later that night I spent some time with the Lord processing this gift I had received.
I think back frequently to when I was told that God delights in distorting our pint-size expectations of Him and this day, he blew my expectations I had of Him out of the water.
The irony of Him physically breaking my chain, and bringing forward a new reminder from Him into my life is at the very least worthy of a good laugh, but more importantly a reflection. I can now understand that I have fulfilled my purpose of abiding in him. I listened to His command to apply on to the race, and He opened all the doors for me after that to make it here, serving His people. I listened to His calling and I am now exactly where I belong.
So during this time of my faith journey I no longer need the reminder to abide in Him, but the reminder that I am loved by Him.
Unconditionally, wholeheartedly, positively, loved by Him.
Thank you, Jenny, for blessing me with a gift a lot bigger than just this key.
