Caught with Your Hand in the Cookie Jar
“And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” (I John 2:28)
Tommy could smell the irresistible aroma of chocolate chip cookies that were just about ready to come out of the oven. He licked his lips as he thought about how good they were going to taste. Ever since his dad had been out of work, mom had not been doing any baking.
They just had food to live on -- none of the sweet treats that Tommy was so fond of. In just a moment he heard the familiar squeak of the oven door and bounded out of the chair where he had been reading.
“Boy, Mom! Does that ever smell good!” exclaimed Tommy as he slid to a stop right beside his mother who was setting the cookie sheet out to cool.
“I can’t wait to get a taste of those. I sure have missed your good cookies lately.”
Mom looked rather absent-minded, and maybe a little worried, too.
“Sorry, Tommy. I know how much you love chocolate chip cookies, and I had intended to make a batch for us here at home, but Mrs. Swanson called and asked if I’d bring two dozen cookies for the Bible club tomorrow, and I just barely had enough sugar and chocolate chips to make that many. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait and enjoy your share with the rest of the kids tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow!” Tommy couldn’t imagine how he could ever wait a whole day, when he had been having such a hard time making himself wait long enough for them to finish baking. ‘My taste buds are screaming for chocolate chip cookies RIGHT NOW,’ thought Tommy. He turned dejectedly toward the living room and plopped down in the same chair. ‘Tomorrow is a long time away!’
He tried to get interested in his book again, but the tantalizing aroma of chocolate chip cookies still aggravated him. After a half hour of battling with his disappointed appetite, he was just starting to get caught up in the story when Mom stepped into the living room.
“Tommy, I’m going to walk down to the post office and stop at Grandma’s. I won’t be gone long. Is your story exciting?”
“I guess so,” answered Tommy, without much enthusiasm. The kitchen door squeaked on its hinges and then latched.
“The first time Mom has baked chocolate chip cookies in three months, and I’ve got to watch everybody else eat them -- tomorrow!” He shook his head and dove back into the story.
A little while later, he suddenly looked up and wondered where his mother had gone. But before he had time to think it out, he remembered that she had said she was going to the post office and Grandma’s. But how long had she been gone? He couldn’t seem to remember. The faint aroma of chocolate still hung in the room, and Tommy stood and stretched and thought He’d walk out in the back yard and get some fresh air. On his way to the kitchen door, he stopped in his tracks.
He hadn’t had a chocolate chip cookie in a long time. If there were two dozen, surely his mom wouldn’t miss just one.
Before he had really thought much about whether he should or not, he was already headed for the corner where the cookie jar sat loaded down with mom’s fresh-baked cookies. He knew he was disobeying, but no one would ever notice if he took just one cookie. He lifted the lid from the jar and reached the other hand in. The wonderful smell rose to meet him. But just then he heard the kitchen door squeak and Mom said,
“Tommy!”
The lid dropped from Tommy’s hand and rolled across the kitchen floor. Suddenly, Tommy was ashamed of himself.
He hadn’t thought of how much Mom wanted to stretch the food budget to feed the family and still be able to have a part at church by helping out when she was asked. He remembered that worried look he had seen on her face a little earlier, and now it was replaced with a look of disappointment and disbelief. Now Tommy realized how selfish he had been. He was only thinking of himself, and his selfishness had led him straight into trouble.
“Tommy, I am really disappointed in you. I’ve never known you to purposely disobey me. Does this mean that I can’t trust you?” Mom was searching his downcast face for an answer.
“No, I mean, really Mom. I was just going to eat one. I’m sorry. You told me to wait until tomorrow, and I was going to disobey. I really am sorry, Mom.”
Tommy slowly put the cookie back into the jar, retrieved the lid, and put it back in place.
“Tommy, you may go to your room.” Tommy was left to suffer in silence. In a little while Mom knocked on the door and came in. Tommy was sitting on the edge of his bed, still ashamed. His parents had always been so proud of him because they knew he was trustworthy and obedient. Now they wouldn’t know whether to believe him or not. That seemed like a big price to pay for a chocolate chip cookie -- especially one that he hadn’t even eaten.
Tommy looked up expecting to see Mom with the paddle in her hand. Instead she had a tray with a glass of milk and two cookies. “Oh, Mom! I don’t deserve that. I’d rather wait until tomorrow, really I would.” Tommy looked at the cookies and thought that they didn’t seem nearly as important as they had seemed a short while ago.
“Tommy, we don’t deserve anything, but God is so good to us anyway. I’ve been thinking about how you looked when I came back suddenly and found you doing wrong. It made me think that one of these days Jesus is going to come back, and we don’t want to be doing something that will make us ashamed to see Him. If we’re doing right we’ll be happy about His coming, but if we’re caught in our sin, then we’ll be ashamed to look into the face of the One who loved us so much and died for us. We don’t want to be in that situation, do we, Tommy?”
“I’ll say! I never thought the day would come when I wasn’t glad to see you, Mom. But doing wrong changed all that. I guess I learned my lesson about sneaking cookies.”
“And maybe we both learned our lesson about keeping our lives clean so that we can welcome Jesus gladly when He comes again to take us to Heaven. He said, ‘And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.’”
“I think I’ll get my Bible out right now and write a note by that verse to remind me what it means,” said Tommy.
“What are you going to write?” Mom inquired.
“Something very scholarly, Mom. I’m sure you’ll be impressed!” Tommy smiled, and Mom watched as he wrote this in the margin of his Bible next to I John 2:28: DON’T GET CAUGHT WITH YOUR HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR!
Tommy could smell the irresistible aroma of chocolate chip cookies that were just about ready to come out of the oven. He licked his lips as he thought about how good they were going to taste. Ever since his dad had been out of work, mom had not been doing any baking.
They just had food to live on -- none of the sweet treats that Tommy was so fond of. In just a moment he heard the familiar squeak of the oven door and bounded out of the chair where he had been reading.
“Boy, Mom! Does that ever smell good!” exclaimed Tommy as he slid to a stop right beside his mother who was setting the cookie sheet out to cool.
“I can’t wait to get a taste of those. I sure have missed your good cookies lately.”
Mom looked rather absent-minded, and maybe a little worried, too.
“Sorry, Tommy. I know how much you love chocolate chip cookies, and I had intended to make a batch for us here at home, but Mrs. Swanson called and asked if I’d bring two dozen cookies for the Bible club tomorrow, and I just barely had enough sugar and chocolate chips to make that many. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait and enjoy your share with the rest of the kids tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow!” Tommy couldn’t imagine how he could ever wait a whole day, when he had been having such a hard time making himself wait long enough for them to finish baking. ‘My taste buds are screaming for chocolate chip cookies RIGHT NOW,’ thought Tommy. He turned dejectedly toward the living room and plopped down in the same chair. ‘Tomorrow is a long time away!’
He tried to get interested in his book again, but the tantalizing aroma of chocolate chip cookies still aggravated him. After a half hour of battling with his disappointed appetite, he was just starting to get caught up in the story when Mom stepped into the living room.
“Tommy, I’m going to walk down to the post office and stop at Grandma’s. I won’t be gone long. Is your story exciting?”
“I guess so,” answered Tommy, without much enthusiasm. The kitchen door squeaked on its hinges and then latched.
“The first time Mom has baked chocolate chip cookies in three months, and I’ve got to watch everybody else eat them -- tomorrow!” He shook his head and dove back into the story.
A little while later, he suddenly looked up and wondered where his mother had gone. But before he had time to think it out, he remembered that she had said she was going to the post office and Grandma’s. But how long had she been gone? He couldn’t seem to remember. The faint aroma of chocolate still hung in the room, and Tommy stood and stretched and thought He’d walk out in the back yard and get some fresh air. On his way to the kitchen door, he stopped in his tracks.
He hadn’t had a chocolate chip cookie in a long time. If there were two dozen, surely his mom wouldn’t miss just one.
Before he had really thought much about whether he should or not, he was already headed for the corner where the cookie jar sat loaded down with mom’s fresh-baked cookies. He knew he was disobeying, but no one would ever notice if he took just one cookie. He lifted the lid from the jar and reached the other hand in. The wonderful smell rose to meet him. But just then he heard the kitchen door squeak and Mom said,
“Tommy!”
The lid dropped from Tommy’s hand and rolled across the kitchen floor. Suddenly, Tommy was ashamed of himself.
He hadn’t thought of how much Mom wanted to stretch the food budget to feed the family and still be able to have a part at church by helping out when she was asked. He remembered that worried look he had seen on her face a little earlier, and now it was replaced with a look of disappointment and disbelief. Now Tommy realized how selfish he had been. He was only thinking of himself, and his selfishness had led him straight into trouble.
“Tommy, I am really disappointed in you. I’ve never known you to purposely disobey me. Does this mean that I can’t trust you?” Mom was searching his downcast face for an answer.
“No, I mean, really Mom. I was just going to eat one. I’m sorry. You told me to wait until tomorrow, and I was going to disobey. I really am sorry, Mom.”
Tommy slowly put the cookie back into the jar, retrieved the lid, and put it back in place.
“Tommy, you may go to your room.” Tommy was left to suffer in silence. In a little while Mom knocked on the door and came in. Tommy was sitting on the edge of his bed, still ashamed. His parents had always been so proud of him because they knew he was trustworthy and obedient. Now they wouldn’t know whether to believe him or not. That seemed like a big price to pay for a chocolate chip cookie -- especially one that he hadn’t even eaten.
Tommy looked up expecting to see Mom with the paddle in her hand. Instead she had a tray with a glass of milk and two cookies. “Oh, Mom! I don’t deserve that. I’d rather wait until tomorrow, really I would.” Tommy looked at the cookies and thought that they didn’t seem nearly as important as they had seemed a short while ago.
“Tommy, we don’t deserve anything, but God is so good to us anyway. I’ve been thinking about how you looked when I came back suddenly and found you doing wrong. It made me think that one of these days Jesus is going to come back, and we don’t want to be doing something that will make us ashamed to see Him. If we’re doing right we’ll be happy about His coming, but if we’re caught in our sin, then we’ll be ashamed to look into the face of the One who loved us so much and died for us. We don’t want to be in that situation, do we, Tommy?”
“I’ll say! I never thought the day would come when I wasn’t glad to see you, Mom. But doing wrong changed all that. I guess I learned my lesson about sneaking cookies.”
“And maybe we both learned our lesson about keeping our lives clean so that we can welcome Jesus gladly when He comes again to take us to Heaven. He said, ‘And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.’”
“I think I’ll get my Bible out right now and write a note by that verse to remind me what it means,” said Tommy.
“What are you going to write?” Mom inquired.
“Something very scholarly, Mom. I’m sure you’ll be impressed!” Tommy smiled, and Mom watched as he wrote this in the margin of his Bible next to I John 2:28: DON’T GET CAUGHT WITH YOUR HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR!
