In grade three  I discovered that having creative thought was not allowed in Sunday School. My teacher handed us the coloring pages of Jesus and  I took that as the cue to let my creativity run wild. It was with gusto  I had colored Jesus’s skin green and his hair purple.

The catechism teacher was livid of my creative interpretation of Jesus.

My only defense was “Well! We don’t really know what he looks like. So it is possible he could be green!?”

I was sent home to my parents who gave me another stern lecture and banished  me to my room for the night. It all seemed a little extreme from the eyes of a nine-year old especially when no one had ever seen him!

My littlest  in Grade 2 is having a phenomenal year in  school and has been keeping a visual journal. His teacher has been very instrumental in letting children’s creativity shine through in her classroom.

He is  very  pleased with his creations and couldn’t wait to share his finished project with me.  I smiled as I leafed through the book because they were not your typical rainbows and flowers.

Instead :

 Eyes Watching You

Brain Eating Zombies

And Stinky Feet

They show a little man with a wild imagination and a good sense of humor. And if he ever colored Jesus green I don’t think it would be that big of a deal. At the end of the day I pretty sure the big guy in the sky likes a child with a creative eye.

What did you like to draw and color when you were a child? Did you ever get in trouble for your depictions?