Lessons Learned from Four-Year Olds

I love working in the four-year old Sunday School class. This once-a-month privilege always teaches me so much more than we ever teach them. A couple of weeks ago was no exception and I walked away with a few lessons learned...

1. You can make a fashion statement with purple makeup on your face - A couple of the girls unloaded their purse and the next thing we knew they were covered in purple makeup. They weren't shaken by the Indian war paint look they were sporting, but we figured the Mommies might not be too happy with this emerging trend. Miss Carolyn took them to the bathroom to wash their face. But, I couldn't resist calling one of them "Purple Piper" the rest of the day.

2. A chariot can be pulled by a zebra if a horse isn't available - Mr. Matt was playing with the kids and having them pull a chariot as we prepared to hear the story of the conversion of the Ethiopian. No horse was available to use to pull the chariot...so Mr. Matt improvised...and we used Marty the Zebra. All the Madagascar characters from Disney Happy Meals are ready to fulfill any biblical role necessary at a moment's notice.

3. Potty time can evoke the best discussions - As crazy as it sounds, I love taking the girls for potty time. They always tell the greatest stories and bonding happens when you do something, so, um, personal, I guess. On this particular Sunday, I had two interesting discussions. One little girl said she had a younger sister, and she was going to have a baby brother, but right now, he was growing in her Mommy's tummy. Sounds reasonable, right? But, her Mommy isn't pregnant. This same girl has told the teachers each week it's her birthday...I think we have a comedic genius on our hands. Another little girl described in detail how her Mommy handles her clothing when she has, um, an accident. I'll save you the gory details. But she implied these "accidents" happen frequently. I've protected the innocent by withholding their names. What happens in the potty, stays in the potty.

4. We all have fears - the only thing that changes is the focus of our fears - Hannah sat with me at the table doing a puzzle and was all snuggly, which I love, but she seemed a bit sleepy. I asked her, "Hannah, are you sleepy?" She said, "Yes, I didn't sleep last night. The storms scared me." I just gave her a hug....and was reminded that I was afraid of storms at her age too. My Mom taught me Psalm 56:3, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in the Lord." to get me through the storms. To little Hannah, that storm may be the scariest thing she encounters. But, for me, I have different storms now. In either case, Psalm 56:3 is the best answer no matter the storm.