Having six grandson’s (ages thirteen to four) keeps me abreast of all things having to do with Star Wars, Super Heroes, armaments and assorted building materials such as Legos, K’nex, and Duplos. In fact just two days ago I broadened my horizons perusing some amazing Lego sets featuring the Lord of the Rings for our #2 grandson James. For me, the best part is getting to watch their imaginations soar as they actually play with their toys and interact with each other. (Such a blast!)
I wonder if we adults have lost sight of the importance imagination plays in our lives. It is not a fluke that we:
- Enjoy the creative process it takes in building and putting our homes in order
- Marvel at a beautiful sunrise or sunset
- Remember events that happened years ago as if they occurred yesterday
- Find comfort and wisdom in prayer as we, “focus not on what is seen but on what is unseen” because we know that “what is seen is temporary, what is unseen is eternal.” (II Corinthians 4:18)
An integral part of God’s design for us is the use our imaginations. Our problem is that when we rebelled against God our imaginations gave us a penchant for darkness. Because of that, I believe that our imaginations work best as we stay close to God by reflecting on Him as our Creator. Consider what the Apostle Paul wrote to his spiritual son Timothy,
“ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (I Timothy 3:16,17)
Reflecting on Paul’s declaration, our imaginations are captured right away as we are reminded of the Bible’s origin:
The Scriptures are not something man wrote down as they were inspired by God; the Scriptures are the very breath of God!
We are suddenly aware of a moist, living warmth that imparts color, taste and dimension as the Scriptures enter our imaginations. It is God’s breath that imparts life to what would otherwise be a flat surface.
Secondly, God’s Purpose in gifting us with the Bible was to direct the course of our imaginations to good works: being taught, rebuked, corrected and trained as we bear His image. It is interesting that the idea of being taught and trained are quite amenable to us; yet we balk at the thought of being rebuked and corrected. All are necessary for gaining imaginations worthy of our Creator!
This past week I reflected on Romans 13 in my Journey Notes. I was blown away a few days ago as verse 12 captured my imagination:
“The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
The part I found most thrilling was wrapping my mind around the apostle Paul’s call to action, directing us to forsake our old dark ways as we “put on the armor of light.” In all of their imagining, I doubt that my grandsons imaginations have been called to such heights, but that is what Scripture does!
What exactly is “the armor of light?” I thought about prayer and thanksgiving as a means of dispelling light in dark places. To “put on the armor of Christ” is to “. . . take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (II Corinthians 10:5) Mostly though, the verse caused me to see Christ as Light in my imagination as Paul both warns and encourages us to prepare for His imminent return.
There are some essentials in life that we take for granted: fresh air, clean water, adequate shelter and sunshine are some of the tangible essentials. I suggest that we add to that list a daily stimulation of our imaginations via our exposure to God’s Living Word. In doing so I guarantee that Life will never again be boring or pointless as our perceptions are opened to His Glory.
All to Him!
HisGlory SM 