I love donuts. I mean, I’m pretty sure everybody loves donuts, but I am one of the ones who has the courage to proclaim it. In my family, Friday is known as “Donut Day”—on the way to taking my kids to school, we all stop for donuts.

So, when my kids were out of school for Christmas break, I got them up and told them we were going out for Donut Day, but not to just any regular donut place, oh no. I was going to take them to Frost Donuts! Frost Donuts is the extra-fancy donut place—with the Butterfinger donuts, the salted caramel donuts, bacon on the maple bars—you know the place. It is a little too out of the way for regular donut day, but Christmas break was the perfect excuse to go.

“Okay, kids, let’s go out for donuts!” I announced. But to my surprise I was met with resistance, “Do we have to? I don’t want to get dressed. Can we just stay here?”

I wasn’t sure what was happening. Kids turning down donuts? Is that even allowed?

I thought about backing down and breaking out the Cheerios instead, but then I reconsidered. I went ahead and forced my kids to go out for donuts! And we had a great time. The BEST time. We laughed, we ate great donuts, we took pictures, and even weeks later we are talking about what a fun morning it was.

As I drove home, I thought about this truth: Sometimes you have to make people have fun. Whether you are leading a family or a ministry, the same pattern is likely. People involved with their day-to-day routine get busy, and pretty soon they don’t have time to do the things that are really going to be fun. But fun is important. Fun creates relationship bonds. Fun builds memories. Fun refreshes the soul.

In leadership, we often find ourselves in the awkward position of making people have fun…or at least we should! As you think about the next year in your church, your ministry, and your family, include some fun.

Face up to the fact that your kids, your volunteers, and even you are going to feel like you are too busy to take the time for fun. But they need it—YOU need it. Put it on the calendar, make the invites, and don’t let people off the hook too easily when they say they are too busy.

Don’t be the fun dictator. Let other people contribute. They might suggest something that you wouldn’t think of—they may even be more “in touch” with the rest of your group. And, most importantly, involving someone else produces a person in the group that wants the event to succeed as much as you do.

Remember, some of the most fun times you will ever have will be when things didn’t work out—the car broke down, the venue was closed, whatever. Remember the goal (to have fun) and don’t get mopey if things don’t go as planned.

Have fun—you won’t regret it!