We're dog sitting our daughter's eight-month-old puppy — a golden retriever and husky mix. She weighs almost sixty pounds. The problem with a sixty-pound puppy is that we tend to forget that regardless of her enormity, she is still a PUPPY. She may look like an adult dog, but her behavior is that of a puppy. We can't expect from her the kind of behavior one can expect from a grown dog. I know that in the next four days she will probably chew up something else — probably several more something elses.

And what is my point?

Sprouts are children, and they will act like children. Regardless of how smart they are, how computer savvy, how well they can program your new cell phone, or how much they want to be like Jesus, they will still act like children. They will giggle inappropriately, particularly at scatological humor, they'll be cruel even to their friends. What will appear to be minor problems to you will be considered catastrophic to them. They have no sense of time or history. They may not be able to think abstractly or empathize well with others' feelings.

Mary Alice Gran at the GBOD has some excellent resources that can help you. For help and ideas, go to www.gbod.org/ministries/children.

You must love your Sprouts unconditionally; even when they spoil your lesson plan by being silly or ruin the prayer by lack of attention or just plain run wild with excess energy. You have to count to ten, remember that they are children, regroup, demonstrate that you still love them, and try again.

Paul Chilcote writes in Praying in the Wesleyan Spirit (a resource I highly recommend) that Jesus "became what we are in order for us to become what he himself is, the embodiment of [God's] love."

One of the strengths of the Sprouts ministry is that it gives you, as the adult leader, an excellent opportunity to embody God's love to children who may or may not be receiving it elsewhere. They can be loved unconditionally and at the same time be held accountable as disciples of Jesus Christ. Just remember, puppies will be puppies and children will be children.

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