Below is a conversation, an electronic dialogue between a father and his daughter who was away at college. The girl was attending a Christian college as was her 
brother. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Daughter: “Morning dad, I just heard that Alex (the father’s son/the girl’s brother) is going to get a tattoo of a cross on his back…I don’t know if I should say anything to him or not… Father: “WHAT!!! YES, you should!” Daughter: “What should I say?” Father: “Tell him, ‘DON’T DO IT!!!!!’ Tell him he should call me, please! Daughter: “Hahahahahahaha APRIL FOOLS!” :D
A little levity and just some fun and games, but the truth is the heart might need to be shocked after that kind of news. For years stories have been told and tricks have been pulled on an unaware victim, only to hear the trickster say those two, annual words…’April Fools.’
We have all been subject to an April fool’s joke, especially if you have children or siblings. Of course if the truth be told, we all have undoubtedly played our share of jokes on someone we love. No harm in having a little fun, but when is too much, too much? Are we guilty of laughing at someone’s expense? Do we tease and cause harm for the sake of a laugh. If we aren’t careful with the way we treat one another, we may unwittingly hurt those we’d never want to hurt. What might be a harmless ruse can cause a loss of trust.
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with teasing every now and again, and an annual April Fool’s joke might be just the thing to bring a smile to someone’s day. But we must be careful how much bantering we do to our friends and family. Perhaps the thing to keep in mind comes from the pen of Paul as he wrote to the church in Ephesus. Chapter 5; “…be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you…there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.”
We can and do have fun with each other. Good-natured fun (as my grandmother used to call it) can be refreshing, but be careful it doesn’t get out of hand. In other words, don’t be foolish in the manner in which you treat others. And as a side note; kids, if you want to play an April Fools joke on your dad, don’t do it via text…once they pick themselves off the floor, they’ll start noticing more gray hairs.