Inordinate love

Consequently he who inordinately loves the good which any nature possesses, even though he obtain it, himself becomes evil in the good, and wretched because deprived of a greater good. (Augustine City of God p388)

Loving the good things that God has created is not evil. Loving them more than Him who is truly lovely is both evil and wretched. This is the key that unlocks the joy of the saints, and exposes the misery of sinners. The great commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength; He is to be our supreme love. When He is, and our love of other good things are rightly ordered under Him, we enjoy the life for which He created us.

I'm convinced that this explanation of the biblical teaching on love can help children understand how to love good things in God's world in the way that He has designed for us to love them. Even a young child can see that it is good to love a pet, and good to love one's parents. But if you love your pet more than your parents, something is wrong and you can properly enjoy either. So it is that if we love anything inordinately (including anything more than God) we become "evil in the good, and wretched because deprived of a greater good."