Underestimated

• My granddaughter Mara (age 8) and her brother Ry (age 4) spent a week at my house this summer.

One afternoon I found a creative way to keep them occupied. A hickory tree and a walnut tree grow in the woods next to my backyard. I told the kids, “Would you like to have some fun? If you pick up any nuts that have fallen in the grass, I’ll pay you for your efforts.”

“How much will you pay us?” Mara asked.

Without thinking, I quickly responded, “10 cents for every walnut and 5 cents for every hickory nut.” I figured this project would keep the kids busy for a while and make my yard a little easier to mow. They’ll pick up a few nuts and get tired after a few minutes, I told myself. It might cost me a few bucks.

I was wrong.

Mara worked diligently all afternoon. She scoured the lawn and asked me for more buckets she could fill with nuts. By the end of the day, when everything was counted, she had collected four dozen walnuts, 2,514 hickory nuts, and a few assorted twigs. Using my calculator, I was amazed to discover I owed my granddaughter $130.60.

There was no room for negotiation. I had to keep my word.

I didn’t have that much cash on hand, so I drove to the bank and withdrew the money. The windfall doubled Mara’s life savings. I insisted on one condition—that she should tithe the money—and she agreed to give the first $13 to the Lord.

Oh, and I owed her younger brother $4.70 as well.

I significantly underestimated my granddaughter’s industriousness—and a hickory tree’s fruitfulness.

Lessons Learned

This little incident, which will be remembered in the Faust household as “the great hickory nut heist,” reminded me to count the cost before making a promise. Jesus illustrated this point by telling about a man who starts building a tower and later realizes he doesn’t have the funds to complete the project (Luke 14:28-30).

It also reminded me about the extravagance of fatherly love. Although chagrined by my miscalculation, I was delighted to see the kids work hard and I was happy to give them a larger-than-expected blessing. You can’t put a price-tag on the lifelong memories we built that day.

This wasn’t the only time I have underestimated things.

At times, I have underestimated people. I’ve seen Bible college students, some labeled “below average,” grow into high-impact leaders for the Lord. If I had been at Jesse’s house long ago, would I have assumed one of his more impressive-looking sons should be anointed Israel’s king and not the shepherd boy David?

I have underestimated problems. When sloppy habits and bad attitudes go unaddressed, small issues grow into big distractions. Worthwhile projects often take more time, effort, and money than we expect. We should pay attention to details and do our homework before pressing on.

At times, I have underestimated the power of the Holy Spirit. Why rely on our own puny strength? The Lord “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20, New International Version).

I’m learning not to underestimate people, problems, or God’s power. Lest I forget these lessons, there’s a pile of hickory nuts in the woods that helps me remember.