Don’t Cry Over Spilt Green Chili

Arriving home from grocery shopping one afternoon, I sensed an imminent meltdown from my 9 month old son. He was overtired and still upset that I did not let him grab and chew on all of the exciting things he could see in the grocery store. I surveyed the heap of grocery bags in my trunk and glanced at the distance to my front door. I decided to attempt to bring everything inside of the house in one trip so that I hopefully could get him to sleep before the meltdown occurred.

I clustered bags around each of my forearms and carefully made my way to the door, trying to keep my hefty load in balance. As I approached the front step, I realized, to my dismay, that my keys were in my pocket and that I would have to set down the precariously arranged bags in order to unlock the door. As I lowered the groceries to set them down, one of the bags slipped from my grip, rolled down the front step, and crashed into the cement. I looked down to see shattered glass and a puddle of green chili.

As I assessed the damage, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. Why tears over spilt green chili?! Doesn’t everyone receive wisdom from their parents to not cry over spilt milk? These words of wisdom should apply to green chili too, right? But when I saw the spilt green chili, I saw more than a green puddle. I mourned the wasted precious dollars in our tight budget and the shattered key ingredient in my perfectly planned meal for our dinner guests.

My husband, who works from home a few days a week, heard the commotion from his office window and came to see if everything was alright. He saw the mess and immediately came over, kissed me on the forehead and gently told me, “It’s alright; it was an accident”. He then began to help me pick up the mess. I started to explain to him all of the reasons why he should be upset with me. He gently stopped me and lovingly reassured me that the spilt green chili was not a big deal, and then offered to finish cleaning up the mess so that I could get our son down for a nap.

A few minutes later, as I was rocking my son to sleep, I reflected on the green chili incident. Why did tears well up over spilt green chili? Why did I expect my loving husband to be upset with me for a simple mistake? I realized that I wanted everything to be perfect and in control; the mucky puddle of green chili and shattered glass reflected my broken aspirations to be a super wife, a super mom, and a super hostess. I wanted the perfect house, the perfect dinner for guests, and the perfect grocery list for a budget. A typical 1950s ad of a neatly dressed woman in the kitchen where everything is pristine flashed through my mind. The shattered green chili painted my imperfections and lack of control – everything BUT pristine- all over the sidewalk for everyone to see.

In that quiet moment of rocking my son to sleep, Christ whispered softly into my heart, “I love you and I will always take care of you.” In all of my weaknesses and daily trials, Christ reassured me, just as my husband did, that He will be there to kiss me on the forehead and to help me pick up the mess.

Some of Saint John Paul II’s wisdom reverberated through my heart, “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.” My identity is not my failure to be perfectly pristine like the 1950’s image that flashed through my mind. My identity is in Christ. God lovingly beckons me to surrender myself to Him in my weakness and brokenness. St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians shares the importance of weakness and surrender in his own life. He writes “And [God] has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Cor 12:9). Again in Philippians 4:13, Paul boasts “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me”. Through surrendering my heart more fully to God, just as St. Paul did, I can allow the Divine Physician to enter deeper into my life so that He can transform me with His healing love and grace. Christ loves me more than I can imagine and calls me “to become the image of His Son” and to be perfect as my heavenly Father. This perfection is only possible if I come to Christ in my brokenness and weakness, so that His love and grace can transform me.  Spilt green chili is not a reason to cry, but a reason to boast and rejoice. Through the spills and brokenness of life, God will transform me, and the “power of Christ will dwell in me.”

Theresa Earleywine

Theresa Earleywine

Theresa Earleywine is a wife and mother who enjoys living in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. She has a MA in Evangelization and Catechesis from Augustine Institute. When not chasing after her adventurous toddler she can be found exploring the outdoors, writing, reading, baking.

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3 thoughts on “Don’t Cry Over Spilt Green Chili”

  1. Pingback: Cardinal O'Malley, Pro-Life & Cognitive Dissonance - Big Pulpit

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