The other day, someone needed an international converter ASAP, and asked on a local social media page to borrow one. The offer to lend came quickly. She said that the item would be waiting on her porch, which because they are already friends she did not need to spell out. 

 

The next day I sat by a friend who mentioned that he wanted a different kind of plug, also time sensitive, and wondered where to buy it. I mentioned the possibility of asking to borrow one in this same group. 

 

"I don't know how to do that," he admitted.

 

It turns out that I do. I posted the request for him, and was not surprised that a response appeared in less time than it would take to drive to the store. Sometimes I have noticed that the lender lives on the same street as the borrower, which makes me laugh. Once they were next door to each other, but would not have known they could meet one another's needs without reaching out this way. 

 

Let me hasten to add that the friend in need of a plug is quite smart. His inability to post is dwarfed by vast knowledge when it comes to geography, for instance. Most days, the group we sit with pulls up the game in which there is a country disguised as an inkblot. Let's just say that if it is neither a boot nor Canada, I have no idea. He, on the other hand, repeatedly identifies obscure nations in sub-Saharan Africa. 

 

There are other areas in which I find myself lacking. Navigation is one, which is thankfully less impactful with these handy devices that keep me on course. It is not that I won't find my way between two places. I can't. 

 

There are arenas in which John gets lost. Remembering names is one. Small talk is another. There was a time when I thought he could try harder, or fooled myself into illusions of superiority. 

 

Now, I believe that such discrepancies are plan A. God invites us to step into bartering our skills in a way that weaves us together.