I’ve already talked a lot about learning, growing, responsibility, and other serious things. Although our kids’ spiritual life isn’t something we should take lightly, we can get so wrapped up in the seriousness of it all that we end up painting God as a sour-faced old schoolmarm who demands that we get serious, sit quietly, and do only what we’re told to do. That’s why this first aspect of God’s character is so critically important and why I put if first.

God invented:

• beauty
• joy
• happiness
• humor
• laughter
• applause
• sunshine
• entertainment
• fun
• health
• nature
• sports
• love
• friendship
• families
• conversation
• art
• drama
• music
• food
• animals
• and even hugs

It’s important that we talk about God in relation to the good things in life, that we talk about him during the good times and not just when we need to lecture about right and wrong or struggle with someone’s death or sickness or explain why some disaster took place. Our children would quickly get tired of our company if all we did was teach and correct, even if we did it gently. They’d also want to be somewhere else, anywhere else, if we were always mad, upset, or negative.

It’s the same with God. We can’t get away with talking about God only in dour terms and in dour times and still expect our children to be excited about developing a relationship with him. Instead, we should focus on seeing him as the inventor behind life’s joys, the one who’s throwing the party, not the one who’s scolding everyone and sending them home. “God…richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).

God is there with us and for us, and he gives us all the good things listed above to enjoy – and a whole lot of others that aren’t mentioned.

(RICK OSBORNE / Christian Author, Speaker & Bible Teacher)