"Borrow Hope" is a phrase we use a lot around Hopetown because it’s especially meaningful to the Dickson family.

When Zach had his mental breakdown with severe anxiety years ago, he reluctantly went to see a Professional Counselor- we call him Dr. D. Zach was sceptical to say the least. Knowing this, Dr. D spoke words to Zach that he would never forget. He said, "Zach, I know you feel hopeless. That's okay, because you can borrow my hope for now." And that's exactly what Zach and Ashley did for that season of life. Zach was especially hopeless, but Dr. was full of hope for Zach's situation. Zach and Ashley learned that just like you can borrow a tangible object-like money or car - you can also borrow someone else’s hope that things will get better. After few months with Dr. D, Zach began to feel his own hope.  After one year Zach began letting others borrow hope from him because he now had his own to give away.

This is what meaningful relationships should be about. When we feel hopeless about our circumstances, we should borrow hope from the people around us who are hopeful for our situation. Then, after we have borrowed someone else's hope for a time, we are able to have hope of our own. We then can give hope away.

Simply put: Be honest in your hopelessness. Borrow someone else's hope until you have hope for yourself. Give hope away. And repeat.

Have you had to borrow someone else's hope before? Maybe you didn't know what you were doing at the time, but now you see that person lent you hope for that difficult season of life.

If you have a story like this, let’s celebrate! Let’s use social media to share the story of borrowing hope. Would you post a picture of yourself wearing a Borrow Hope shirt? Along with posting the picture, would you share a “thank you letter” of sorts to whoever it was that allowed you to borrow their hope for a season of life? (And if you give Hopetown a shoutout, that would much appreciated too!)

Tag Hopetown when you share!

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Thank you for your love, encouragement, and support!