WHEN a ROOSTER CROWS on a FRIDAY MORNING
(I recommend it be read aloud)
“Wait for it …”
“It’s dark, I can’t even see the moon because of the clouds…I can’t even see the my hand in front of my nose.”
“I know son … I know. But the rooster will still know when it is time.”
Lucas waited as patiently as a tired nine-year-old could. It was damp and chilly from the heavy dew even with his winter coat and knit cap. The night before his father, Jacob, had read from the passage in Matthew where Peter wept after the rooster crowed. Lucas’s imagination went wild and excitedly suggested that they should get up to “hear the rooster.”
In the dark, Jacob had time to think. He was sad. He and the boy’s mother had parted ways … badly. It had not been a pleasant year. That was in the past now, and Lucas was with him for this week. Spring break. They had some fun … fishing Wednesday at his favorite spot on the river … and a pizza afterward. Then last night, because this was also Holy Week, they began to talk about the sacrifice of Christ. When Jacob mentioned Peter he suddenly realized how much he had in common with that biblical character. Pulling out the old Bible he found the passage and read it aloud:
(Matthew 26:75 KJV) “And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, who said to him, before the cock crows, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out and wept bitterly.”
Jacob knew how that felt. He knew the pain of hurting the very people you love the most. Worse, his son had experienced the result because of the break-up and divorce.
So, last night when Lucas excitedly suggested they listen for the rooster, he instantly knew they HAD to do it. They had to do it together.
When a rooster crowed on a Friday morning, Jacob found himself sobbing. To him it was amazing when he felt Lucas’s hug on his neck. Lucas understood with a sudden, and intense clarity for a nine-year-old boy. He knew, without a single doubt, how much his dad loved him and he understood how much his dad regretted the pain those events had caused him. So, even though the morning was cool and overcast, when a rooster crowed they cried and embraced and … forgave.
[PLEASE NOTE that Don is always open to discussing the thoughts and opinions he shares here and welcomes comments as shared in the comment section. He doesn’t use other social media platforms and won’t see whatever you’d like to share with him if you post it elsewhere. ~ Sherry]
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Every time I read the story of Peter’s denials and tears of regret and shame, I see myself.
Thankfully that is not the end of the story for Peter; or for myself.
Christ meets us, challenges us, heals us and restores us. Then He gives us a purpose to engage in His kingdom. “Feed my sheep” is far more than a command. It is a personal opportunity that a lesser god would not give to us.
I do too. And I also shared this comment on my News & Updates so nobody would miss it! (I get a lot more hits checking into that than on any of my posts!)