My husband's parents, Steve and Evelyn, are two of the most godly people I know. They are missionaries in Peru, South America. They raised their five children in Peru. All five are adults and all five are living for the Lord.

Steve and Evelyn were very involved in their children's lives. In spite of an extremely busy schedule, they made sure they spent time with their children. Jeff has wonderful memories of climbing the rugged desert mountains with his family. He remembers how they played games together and joked together. He has fond memories of their Family Devotions. To this day, there is no one, outside our immediate family, Jeff would rather spend time with than his parents and siblings. Steve and Evelyn also involved the children heavily in the ministry. Jeff remembers sanding church benches, visiting the homes of Peruvians, and even preaching beginning at age fifteen.

Jeff's parents taught their children that their main goal in life should be to please and glorify God. They not only taught this, they lived it. Life as missionaries in Peru is not easy. They lived through tight finances, political unrest, and many other trials. Through all this they taught their children to trust in the Lord in every circumstance. They taught their children to live with the sole purpose of glorifying the Savior.

My husband tells me that when he was growing up, his parents never once said, "Have fun." When they went to a nearby lot to play soccer, when they played with their friends, when they went to the Peruvian camp, his parents would make statements like, "Be good" or "Do the right thing even if other's don't." They coined the phrase, "Go do the right thing" long before Dr. Laura made it so popular.

Jeff and I are trying to instill this principle in our children. We don't need to tell them to "have fun." Children have a way of doing this naturally! They don't need to be told to have a good time. They will try very hard to have a good time whether we tell them to or not.

However we do need to tell our children to live righteously, because this does not come naturally. On the way to soccer each Saturday, Jeff talks to our three sons about being a good sport. He talks to them about not complaining when an unfair call is made. He talks to them about not being a gloating winner or a whining loser. He never tells them, "Have fun!" But you know what? Our boys always have a great time. They don't need to be told to enjoy themselves. They do.

One time on our way home from church, one of our children complained that Sunday School was not "fun" that day. My husband and I had no sympathy. Jeff calmly explained to the children that we do not go to church to "have fun." We go to church to worship God, learn more about God and fellowship with other believers. If we happen to have a good time while we do all this, that is great, but it is not the reason we go to church.

Lest you think my children lead sad, dreary lives and never have any "fun," rest assured, nothing could be further from the truth. As I write this, Joseph and Jessica are erupting in fits of giggles as Jessica drags Joseph around our wooden floors on an old blanket. And even though we don't tell our children to "have fun," we often hear them say, "This is fun!"

Jeff and I have noticed most people, especially Americans, put a huge priority on fun and entertainment. Our family likes to have fun, too. However, as Christians, our goal in life should not be to have a good time and be entertained. As Christians, our goal is to glorify God and please Him. That should be our highest priority. Any fun we have in the mean time is a blessing from God.

If you feel it would be an encouragement or a blessing to someone, you have the Stilwell's permission to forward this article in its entirety. They just ask that you include this note at the bottom of the article with their name and e-mail address (Jeff and Kim Stilwell, jkstilwell@juno.com) in case someone wishes to contact them. Thank you.

Note regarding our links -- We've programmed our site to open external links in a new window so you won't lose your place here.  If you have a pop-up blocker installed on your browser, you may need to open links manually (right-click with your mouse over links).  We do not use any pop-up advertising on our site.  Contact us with questions!

This site is hosted by  Web design by Anne Elliott.

Copyright © 2000-2008 Anne Elliott.  Clipart ©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement  Used by permission.