01/09/2026
Check out Pastor Doug’s article!
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My sons recently found an old box of Monopoly in the basement. They brought it upstairs and placed it on the kitchen table. Wiping away a thick layer of dust, my 7-year-old asked, “what’s Mono-polly?” It was the same box I grew up with, I forgot it was even down there. “It’s a game,” I said. They lifted the top like little archaeologists, delicately opening some long-buried treasure. “Woah…” was their shared pronouncement. That night we played Monopoly past their bedtime (okay, my wife says “way” past bedtime). When we finally finished and the kids were all tucked in, I turned to my wife and said, “that was fun.” And I didn’t even win.
Some of the best memories we create as kids are simple times of fun. Pure, effortless fun. Board games with family, playing in the backyard, visiting friends. How strange then that we do not often prioritize fun as a family. In all the to-do’s and busyness of the week, it’s easy to overlook or diminish the importance of simply “having fun” together. Yes, we may allow our kids the indulgence of fun – but fun as a whole family? Fun for the parents? “We’ll see… If there’s time… After work… Maybe on the weekend.” Fun is pushed off, relegated to the leftovers of our tightly packed schedules. Is this healthy behaviour?
According to the National Library of Medicine, enjoyable leisure activities are attributable to better health both psychologically and physically, including “lower blood pressure, total cortisol, waist circumference, and body mass index, and perceptions of better physical function.” Or, as Proverbs 17:22 (NIV) states: “a cheerful heart is good medicine.” Fun builds relationships and strengthens social bonds. Fun reduces stress and improves mood. Fun provides rest. Fun is healthy!
So why don’t we prioritize fun? Have we bought into the lie that fun is somehow bad or a distraction from more important pursuits? Yes, there should be some limits – many good things can be twisted by our sin-nature. But we would do well to realize that fun – taking pleasure in God’s good creation – is one of the Father’s earliest gifts to His children. More than that, it is part of our future inheritance.
Consider the picture painted for us in Isaiah 11. The prophet describes the millennial kingdom as a new Eden, where the wolf and lamb dwell together in perfect peace “and a little child shall lead them.” He continues, “the nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra” (ESV). Similarly, Malachi 4:2 tells us, “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out and leaping like calves from the stall.” Beyond this, heavenly imagery is of singing and dancing, wedding feasts, and places of prepared rest, all while enjoying incredible beauty and splendor. This is the world of our dreams – a world free from the effects of sin and yet still a world of incredible fun. It is a promised land of rest, peace, and even play!
Whether we’re seeking to strengthen the bonds of our family or church, or just be healthier, more heavenly-minded versions of ourselves, let’s consider making fun a priority. Let’s spend time together in joy and playfulness and let that remind us of the world our Saviour is holding in store for all those who trust in Him.
– Doug Baert
(Doug is the CEO of Faithville Productions, a Christian media ministry dedicated to sharing the Gospel with children and families through creative storytelling.)
