Author: Wick

It was just another day in the house on the table.  Quite a move was made that morning, as the entire home was picked up in a giant tornado, and placed gently on the smooth wooden surface.  Abu, in true form, spent his time calming down Barbie, who was still quite a bit shaken up.  In fact, Gretel was so upset, she needed to be held a few minutes by Sophie before she could be placed back in her room.

I remember when I was in elementary school, playing Ninja Turtles all over the playground.  There was a giant tree with roots sticking out of the ground, and that became their “lair”, where all the best plans would be put together.  Then the show would start, and the team of four would kick crime’s butt until the bell rang.  It. Was. Awesome.  When I was young, imagination came not only naturally; it came as a necessity.  But as I grew, as a hundred popular movies will illustrate, my ability to imagine became more and more dim.  Reality ruled.

It would be really easy at this point to go down the familiar road of how sad that is.  How even grown men need to have the imagination of the boys they once were.  How it’s a magical force, and it would include some either dreamy-tripped out experience, or actual blast from the past to reinforce the lesson.

But what if we need our imaginations to be active and strong for larger purposes?

Not that God is going to give us a cosmic set of action figures, and expect us to “play nice”.  But it seems the characteristics of God lead us to a place where our imaginations could be vital to experiencing Him.

The word “imagine” comes from the Latin word “imaginari” meaning “to form a mental picture of something”.  Another definition is “to see or hear something that does not exist” (I would add the word “yet” here also.)  Long ago, God made a covenant with Abraham that has been/is still being fulfilled.  God made a new covenant with all of creation through Jesus Christ, that is continuing until completion.  We cannot see God’s hand physically moving in our world.  We cannot see pictures of “New Creation” the way God will bring to reality.  We are surrounded by a humanity that is broken, and a world that is crumbling without the image of God being carried throughout as it was designed.

In the midst of all of this, we need a bit of “Holy Imagining”.  People who will think, love, act, and speak prophetically as citizens of the Kingdom that is, and is to come.  Transformed hearts and minds that are brought to life by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the firstborn of a new way of life that is coming.  We need people who will relate to others, and respond within life not according to how things were, how they are, or even an “optimistic view” of what could be.  But rather, who will respond to life according to how God is transforming all things, and will indeed “make all things new” (Revelation 21:5)

So when our kids tug on our shirts, begging us to play with them, let’s jump in with vigor.  As our imaginations shake off their dust, stretch out a bit, and become stronger – perhaps God will continue to give us a vision and a Life sourced not in what is – but what will be…(cue sappy Disney music)

It’s hockey season again.  That one time every year where I’ll inevitably get asked “So are you guys gonna keep trying for a boy!?”.  As father of 3 girls, and avid hockey fan, it seems like an obvious choice.

Nevertheless, nope.  3 Girls is a great number, and they do a pretty good job of reflecting me on the scale of a toddler.  A couple nights ago, in our small group, we talked about our children picking up things from us.  Sometimes we don’t realize just how much they’re paying attention, until we’re blindsided by seeing ourselves in something they do or say.  It’s inevitably going to happen, because they’re developing and growing daily, and spending time in our presence.  Learning to value what we value.  Learning to say what we say.  Learning to respond to life in the same ways we respond to life.  Learning to spend time doing what they see us doing.

So even though I don’t anticipate having a child to teach how to pee standing up, I do recognize my daughters are constantly seeing how I live my life, and how our family/home is ordered.  They’re learning what to value, and how to communicate that value.

It seems like God recognizes that about us as well, and invites us into His presence.  Jesus was called “Immanuel, which means ‘God with us’. ”  He spends time with us, knowing that without that – it’s hard for us to reflect Him into a world that is thirsty for God’s image.  He knows, because he’s created in a similar way.   He shares with us in John 5:19,

“Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”

I want to spend time in God’s presence, believing that even when I can’t see him magically answering all the prayers I bring to Him, merely the act of spending time with Him can influence/transform my ability to reflect His image into creation/my home.  Whew…that’s a long sentence.  Really just a long way of saying, the more time I spend in God’s presence, the more prepared/resourced I am to carry God’s image into creation.  The more I’m able to do that, the greater our ability for our home to be a place our children learn to carry that same image.

Heck…it seems to work well with hockey so far…:)  Game On.