Story of the Lost Nut

About four weeks ago, I decided to cut up a stack of small fallen trees in the woods. This was part of my ongoing effort in clearing out the woods to make room for some new growth. I briefly thought about using a bow saw or pruning saw to cut up the stack, but I opted for the chainsaw instead. About mid-way thru the cutting, the chain jumped off the bar and was hanging all tangled from the saw. I noticed one of the two combination nut/washers, which held the chain brake and cutting chain in place had come loose, and had either fallen into the woodpile, the sawdust pile, or somewhere in the leaves; which were all over. The saw was rendered useless without this one small part. I looked for quite some time and decided it was futile. I then looked through my collection of miscellaneous hardware for a replacement without any luck either. Finding a needle in a haystack would have been easier. The easiest option was to go to a store that sells the saw and buy a replacement.

As it goes, the store only sold the complete saw; they didn’t sell parts. I spent about an hour scouring through the nut and bolt aisle of the hardware store trying to find a replacement, or at least something suitable. I did eventually find some cheap substitute that worked, and I did finish cutting up the trees. Finishing the job took longer than usual because I stopped often to look for that original nut; I never did find it.

Fast forward to last Thursday. I was in the checkout at Wal-Mart, when I noticed a large display of deluxe metal detectors. I thought, “If I had one of those, I would find that nut!” The idea of buying a deluxe metal detector to find a 75 cent nut was completely irrational, and I came to my senses when I realized that it would be cheaper to drive to the factory and buy a nut than it would be to pony up for a metal detector, (even at such an everyday low price.) I also realized, as you probably have by now, that losing that nut was making me nuts! I left the store without a metal detector. I came to the conclusion that if I wanted that original part badly enough, I needed to break down and order it from the manufacturer and pay 75 cents for the nut and $14.95 for shipping.

When I got home, I quickly became busy with other stuff like cleaning out the garages and wood shed so the cars could be parked inside for the winter. While sweeping the floor in the small garage, where I also store split firewood, I noticed something other than leaves, dirt and dust. It was a combination nut/washer.

I found it! It was on the garage floor this whole time. I called out to my son Mitchell and told him I found my lost nut/washer. I wanted him to be excited about it, and I couldn’t wait to tell Roxanne as well! I was so excited that I found the lost nut. I put it in my pocket and continued to sweep; the whole time smiling that I had finally found that lost nut. Instantly, the story Jesus told about a woman who had lost a coin filled my mind. The story is found in Luke, chapter 15:8-10. I could relate to her joy of finding what was lost. It felt good. Then, the strangest thing happened. I saw the nut/washer on the floor again. Did I have a hole in my pocket? No! It was another nut/washer. I realized that these were just some rejects from my miscellaneous collection that had fallen on the floor during my initial search to find a replacement. I didn’t find the original after all.

Turns out I found something much better than a metal nut; God used this experience to teach me something valuable. He gave me the opportunity to experience, in a small way, the joy God’s angels experience when even one sinner repents. In a small way, I better understood God’s longing for the lost. To any “rational” person, such longing is irrational. A “rational” person would just give up the search and buy a cheap substitute. But God isn’t like that at all. As it turns out, God would pay an exorbitant price to find the original nut. He’d have bought the metal detector, and wouldn’t have stopped looking until the original was found. How do I know this? Well, I know because I was reminded through this experience that I was a lost “nut”, and God paid an exorbitant price (Jesus) to find me.

It was worth losing that part to have that experience; I hope you think so too.

Grace to you.

Dave Paukner