When I was pregnant for the first time, I was very uncertain and worried. I don’t know if it was because of the massive hormonal changes, but I had periods of anxiety about how to be the best mom for my baby.
My holy mom told me that once I met my baby, many things would become clear. And even though her response drove me crazy, she was absolutely right.
Fast forward to when Jessica was about four years old, she discovered that chocolate chip cookies could be found in stores, and not just sporadically in some places.
Overjoyed with the discovery, she asked me to buy them. And that’s how the first box of those cookies got home.
It’s important to mention that the box was from Cosco—that is, a box of boxes of chocolate chip cookies.
I tried not to give her too many cookies, even though for her there was never such a thing as too many cookies. She enjoyed them so much.
At the time, Natalia was less than a year old, so I was trying to get Jessica to start being a little more independent. Instead of handing her everything, I told her where to find the things she asked for. And she liked that because it made her feel like a big girl.
When she knew it was time for her cookies, she started asking if she could take them on her own, and I said yes.
And as Chapulín Colorado would say, “I didn’t count on her cleverness,” hahaha.
It turned out that with great joy she ate twice as many cookies as she usually did. And since I encouraged her independence, she didn’t think it was necessary to tell me.
She closed the package in her own way and happily enjoyed her chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk.
When I returned to the kitchen, I realized what had happened. With great tenderness and laughter, I decided to pay more attention next time.
The next day, when it was time for her cookies, she took more of a lead and “let me know” she was going to have them. I went with her to supervise the amount she was serving. Although she didn’t like that I wouldn’t let her have double the amount, she still enjoyed her cookies.
This situation repeated itself several times, until I discovered that the packs were going down faster.
My beautiful girl would find moments when I was busy, to help herself without me noticing so I wouldn’t limit her desires, hahaha.
When I realized, I wanted to explain to her that too many cookies weren’t good for her. She listened and said,
“Yes, Mommy.”
However, the packs of cookies continued to go down quickly.
I reminded myself,
“She’s a four-year-old, what can I expect? It’s normal for her to want more cookies.”
What I then decided was to move the cookies. I put them in a higher cabinet, out of her reach. I told her that when she wanted to eat her delicious cookies, she would tell me, and I would give them to her. I assumed that would be enough.
Hmmmm, at least that is what I thought…
In the beauty of childish mischief, Jessica managed to arrange the lower drawers like stair steps. Then she would stand on the counter, and with that, she would reach for her cookies.
And all of this, with the stealthy care that I wouldn’t notice.
In the Gospel, Jesus tells of a steward who squandered his master’s goods, and when he was fired and held accountable, his cleverness or prudence dawned. His master commended him for it.
Jessica had no malicious intention in hiding to eat more cookies; she was a child. However, like the steward, she did have the cleverness to continue enjoying them.
It wasn’t until much later that Jessica and I realized the consequences. When we went to the dentist, they noticed cavities in several of her teeth. Since she sometimes ate her cookies after brushing her teeth, and before bed.
In your case, have you learned from the times there have been consequences?
Unlike with the manager, with my daughter there was no firing. There were cavities… But I did learn. First, I stopped buying those cookies in boxes. If I did, I bought small packages and was very careful about how many cookies she ate.
And she learned too. She was so unhappy about the cavities that she never hid to eat cookies again. Now I would find the cheese block with little bites…
It took my little Jessica a while to openly tell me that she bit the cheese. Although I had already noticed, I encouraged her to tell me. I waited a while, and she did tell me. All with innocence, laughter, and joy.
Jesus continues in the Gospel, saying that whoever is faithful in a small way will be faithful in abundance.
Could it be that God seeks our maturity and honesty before trusting us with more?
There was a stage in my life where I wanted to be honest, but I didn’t have the maturity. I screwed up up to my knees. Until the time came not only to face whatever I needed to face, but to learn how to do it well.
Have you ever been fired?
What consequences have you faced?
What have you learned?
What is your experience of being a rich person and delegating stewardship to someone else?
What is your experience of not having been a good steward?
Would you be open to learning how to manage small matters as a practice for managing the great ones?
If the Spirit leads you, share with Jesus the carpenter if you are open to learning what the love(r) wants to teach you. And perhaps you will find that the opportunity to learn is right in front of you.
Marisol
P.S.: We can hear about the call to manage what is good in the readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year/Cycle C.
