My Strong-Willed “Peter” Child
by Hannah Keeley
I couldn’t take my eyes off her. There she was, cheering her heart out on the sidelines. She didn’t have a ribbon in her hair. It seems she misplaced it somewhere during the week. And for the life of her, she couldn’t manage to contain all the junk flowing out of her bucket. And that skirt.
Lord, help me. That skirt.
She lost her skirt. Yep, only two weeks into the cheering season, and she had already lost her skirt. Can someone tell me how in the world a girl can lose a skirt? Well, Kenna had found a way! Fortunately, her older sister had cheered the year before and was able to pass her skirt down to Kenna to use.
One problem. The colors last year were black and gold. The colors this year are blue and red. Yeah, just a bit of a problem.
I was just happy that she had found her sneakers before we left the house. One of them was hiding under the sofa. However, her socks didn’t match a bit.
But she did have one thing in her favor. That girl cheered her heart out!
Kenna is my “Peter” child. And she’s a lot like her mama. Peter was impetuous. He was passionate. He was bold. But, sometimes he jumped in with two feet without a single thought. He was probably the disciple who was straggling behind because he couldn’t find his other sandal. You didn’t even have to ask who cut that soldier’s ear off in the garden. It had to be Peter. His greatest strength was also his greatest weakness–his passion.
I don’t give Kenna a hard time because I know exactly where she’s coming from. I know what it’s like to be Peter. Once, I freaked out at a grocery store because I couldn’t find my toddler. He was sitting in the backpack–ON MY BACK! I’m sure if Peter had gone to the grocery store, he’d be the one running off, and we’d all be asking why didn’t Peter take his mom’s hand? He was that kid.
Do you have a “Peter” child? Or are you a “Peter” mom?…
We tend to jump in. Peter did. There was the resurrected Jesus standing on the shore, and Peter got so excited that he jumped out of the boat to swim to the shore and meet him. Well, I’m sure the boat made it to the shore long before Peter did. And Peter finally comes straggling to shore, gasping for breath, soaking wet, and probably being laughed at by his fellow fishermen.
But Jesus isn’t laughing. He reaches down and firmly grabs hold of Peter’s hand. “Peter, Peter,…” Jesus smiles and shakes his head and then pulls him in for an embrace. Mercy and love drown out the foolishness and flaws.
Out of all the disciples, only one denied him. It was Peter.
But out of all the disciples, only one had the boldness to step out of the boat in the middle of a storm. It was Peter.
I have the feeling that if Peter were a cheerleader, his colors wouldn’t match either.
Hannah Keeley was once an overwhelmed mom living in a cluttered house, deep in debt, out of shape, and barely hanging on. But one day, after finding herself sobbing uncontrollably into a pile of clean laundry, she realized God has bigger and better plans for her (just like He does for each one of His children). Beginning that day, she began making changes in her life that took her from overwhelmed to overjoyed. Today, she’s helping moms do the same. Hannah, her husband, Blair, and their seven children live in Richmond, Virginia, and are having the time of their lives!
Check out Hannah’s Website Here!
