The gift of imagination

Some would say our mind is our greatest asset as human beings.  It is with our minds that we plan, devise, hope, understand, calculate, predict, judge, reflect, remember.  Our minds are extremely powerful. 

God is Creator--this means He is characterized by being creative.   Since we are formed in His image, it naturally follows that we, too, can be creative, entrepreneurial, inventive, exploratory, and imaginative.  After all, consider some of the greats like Disney, Einstein, da Vinci, Mozart, Newton, and a gazillion other genius minds!  Our creativity and imagination are positively amazing! 

But, like most awesome "things," there's always a catch.  Speculators, beware.  

Over the next couple of posts, I'd like to consider our imagination and how we can use it as God intended.   Often and unfortunately,  we can develop the bad habit of using this wonderful gift against ourselves.  If you struggle with jealousy and fear, these posts are for you! 

Charles Spurgeon once said, "The worst evils of life are those which do not exist except in our imagination."   I have found this to be true in my own life, especially when I let my mind wander away from what is true.  

The end result is never pretty and can damage our relationships.  With our own thoughts and visions, we become the attorney who presents mounting "evidence" against the accused, the jury who finds guilty, and the judge who condemns...all in the confines of our minds.  Or we concoct and give way to scenarios and fantasies in our minds that are based in fear or unrealistic expectations, not reality. 

Picture this: 

You're planning a big birthday party for your daughter.  You have big expectations and a way you'd like everything to unfold.   You are sooooo excited and happy although you worked like a maniac to get all bases covered (or so you thought).  Then the great day comes, and Uncle Jo arrives 5 hours early and enters the scene complaining about all the cars in the driveway.  His feet are muddy (it was supposed to be sunny and dry that day! but instead there is blistering, humid heat and rain), and he tracks mud all over the kitchen floor.   You get Uncle Jo settled and are in the middle of mixing your famous cake when your bestie calls in full-blown crisis mode, plus Uncle Jo has the TV blaring and is quite needy on the sofa ("Say, got any lemonade?  I could use another pillow in here.").  You finish throwing your famous dessert together and after sticking the cupcakes in the oven, you realize you left the salt out of the batter.   The dog poops on the LR carpet to Uncle Jo's vocal amusement [Rico always likes a name drop (!) in the blog.].  And if this isn't enough,  you hear a terrifying explosion close to your garage.  Let's just say it was not the neighbor's  A/C unit.     Sigh.  So much for the picture perfect party and your expectations.  

Or how about this:  The handsome new guy at work seems to be flirting with your wife at the office party.  Your mind is a run-away train. 

Or even worse:  Your son doesn't come home when he said.  It's now 1:13 am on a school night.  You cannot reach him on the phone.  He's not answering texts.  Crippling fear invades your minds and thoughts. ​

So, come along with me and let's see if we can analyze our imagination, see where we need to make adjustments in our thinking, and figure out practical applications in our lives to help us make lasting change.   

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Finally, brethren, whatever things are true,
whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just, 
whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely,
whatever things are of good report,
if there is any virtue and
if there is anything praiseworthy--
meditate on these things. 
​Philippians 4:8