Topic: Celebrate with Your Kids! [RICK WARREN Devotional 1 November 2019]

BY RICK WARREN — NOVEMBER 1, 2019

“People ought to enjoy every day of their lives, no matter how long they live” (Ecclesiastes 11:8 NCV).Kids need celebration!

That’s just a fancy word for fun. Families ought to have fun! The home should be a place to play. This is a major fault in many, many homes where the parents are basically good parents and are watching out for their kids, but they don’t have enough fun. They’re too busy. They come home with a “to do” list after work is over. All that stuff has to be done, and they just don’t have time for fun.

Do you endure your kids or do you enjoy them? Kids need celebration.

“People ought to enjoy every day of their lives, no matter how long they live” (Ecclesiastes 11:8 NCV).

When my kids were growing up, we had what we liked to call “Daddy’s Magical Mystery Tours.” Periodically, I shook up the whole schedule and said, “Forget the routine; we’re going to go have fun.” I would even wake up the kids in the middle of the night and put them in the car and do something outrageous—on a school night! So what if they miss a day of school? They’re going to remember that event. They’re going to remember when I got them up really early in the morning and let them eat French toast that I colored green.

Have fun with your kids! Enjoy them! No single day out of routine is going to make or break their lives. But a single special event that is crazy and fun will make a memory your kids will never forget.

If you’re not celebrating and having fun with your kids at home, don’t be surprised when they decide to spend less time there later in life. If you don’t have fun with your kids and really enjoy them, don’t be surprised when they grow up and move out and don’t want to come back very often.

Don’t just endure your kids. Enjoy them!

Which has been a higher priority for you: your schedule or making sure your kids have fun? Why?
Why do we sometimes put our schedule before our kids?
What can you do this week to have fun with your kids? What will you have to give up in order to do that?