The Leprosy Class...

Nursery has always been a tough one for my boys, not until the age of two would they go without a hysterical fit preceding walking in the door. Since reaching that pivotal age, it's mostly a breeze, not always, but they are usually excited to go and play while mom & dad are in their "grown-up" class. Imagine my surprise when a month ago Isaiah threw a hysterical, "please mommy don't leave me", clinging to me fit when it was time to take him to class. I tried, my sister tried, neither of us could stop the tears and eventually I brought him into my "class" to sit quietly until church was over. Thinking it was a fluke, the next week I took his little hand and led him out to line up with the rest of the kids. We didn't make it out of the sanctuary before the clinging hysteria ensued and again he sat with me during church. The next week he became upset as soon as we entered the building, begging to stay with me. The next...the parking lot. You see where I am going...

Honestly I was a little worried about this new "sunday school phobia" of his. What I thought was a result of his dad not having been there, was obviously not the case, as David was attended church with us the last time. I started playing scenarios in my head, "did he get hit in class?", "are the kids mean to him?", "did he misbehave and get in trouble?". Over and over I tried to imagine what could possibly have turned my guy against sunday school?!? The last Sunday I tried to talk to him about why he didn't want to go, "It's important for you to go to your class, they teach you about Jesus" I said. Without looking at me he says "yes but they teach you about bald men too". Imagine a car racing around a track at top speed, that's about as fast as my brain said "bald men? what bald men? were there bald men in the bible? I can't remember a story where they specifically mention a man being bald. I mean I think Job lost his hair but it doesn't say 'and then Job was bald".... Finally, with all the theatrics of a light bulb going off in a silly cartoon (at least in my brain it went that way), I knew exactly what he was talking about...

The last Sunday he actually attended class I went to pick him up and, as usual, the teachers gave me whatever picture they had colored for their lesson that day. This Sunday as I looked down I (yes, actually) thought "Ew, what? What did they learn about today?". What was the picture you ask? It was of an ugly bald man, with sores on his face and a crooked smile, who honestly reminded me of an ogre. What was the lesson? The ten lepers, Jesus heals and only one returns to thank him, really it's a good story, but the picture seems to have left it's mark. Isaiah does not to want to return to what he now calls his "leprosy class". I have told him that they teach about plenty of other things in sunday school, "remember the story of Jesus walking on water?". Doesn't seem to matter, that picture was that freaky to him. He does tell me "in five weeks I'll go back to my leprosy class mommy", but I am skeptical and not really sure what I am going to do. I guess we will see and hopefully it won't be a class about the demon possessed pigs running off a cliff...