Ever hear about Kyle MacDonald who traded a red paperclip for a house? True story. In July 2005 the Canadian blogger posted the above picture with the line, “I want to trade this paperclip with you for something bigger or better, maybe a pen, a spoon, or perhaps a boot. If you promise to make the trade I will come and visit you wherever you are to trade.”

Within hours, MacDonald had an offer for a fish shaped pen from someone in Vancouver. Off he went, driving and posting pictures and swapping until fourteen exchanges and exactly one year later when he traded a movie role in a film for a two-story farmhouse in Kipling, Saskatchewan.

MacDonald got his idea from a childhood game in which kids traded something they had for something bigger and better. It’s a game I often play with God. No, He’s never given me a house—well, actually, He did but that’s a different story. But I make trades with God all the time.

When I’m struggling with doubt, I pray, “God, I’ll trade my faith for Your faith.” Or when making a decision, “I’ll trade my wisdom for Your wisdom.” Or when feeling weary, “I’ll trade my strength for Your strength.” Or I might take a negative and swap it for a positive, “I’ll trade my heartbreak for Your healing.”

The more I trade, the more often I am reminded that my insufficiency is always met by God’s supply. Best of all, just like Kyle MacDonald God promises to come and visit me wherever I am. Whether my need is spiritual, emotional, or physical, God has everything I need and has made it available through the death and resurrection of Christ. In fact, that’s my favorite trade of all, “I’ll trade you my sins for Your forgiveness.”

This reminds me of I Peter 2:24, “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right.”

If you could make a trade with God, what would it be?