“Can I borrow your tools? I need to do some handiwork.”
My instant reaction was not a “yes” or “no”. I am fairly relaxed when it comes to lending my stuff to others. My mind immediately reacted by thinking of the images of my father borrowing different tools or equipment over the years.
One scene kept replaying in my mind as an example of the rest. Dad needed a heavy-duty drill. It is not the kind of tool that one needs to use often. In the moment, I remembered that it had been years since I had used one. A friend living nearby had one. When we picked it up we noted that it was old yet still functional. Hindsight says we should have spent more time evaluating the quality of what we were borrowing.
On the first pass at the hole we were drilling the drill quit. More accurately, the drill started smoking while emitting a sound like bearings grinding against each other. As we examined it, slowing turning it with our hands the fact that the drill was going to need a major rebuild was obvious. The bearings were finished. There was a distinct possibility of more damage. What we were doing was not the cause; it was merely the event underway when the collapse occurred.
Most would have wrapped up the drill and returned it with a explanation or perhaps even a complaint. Dad never hesitated. As has always been the case, what is borrowed is returned in as good or even better shape. It is his mantra, a principle engrained deep within his soul. I know the value lives on; I can see the value playing out in the lives of his three sons.
I read David’s observation this morning and immediately thought of borrowing and Dad. When I hear the words “can I borrow” as the images play in my mind, David’s words dance across the video as a subtext. “Wicked borrows and never returns; Righteous gives and gives.” (Psalm 37.21)
Although others may disagree; I hope the giving never ends.
