Monday, January 16, 2006

The Power (or Peril) of Imagination



How many times have you daydreamed yourself into fame and fortune? I think it's a pretty common tendency in our celebrity-crazy world to imagine oneself accepting the academy award or posing on the red carpet as fans swoon and beg for an autograph.

Or maybe you've set your heart on a slightly lower star. A date to prom with the dreamiest guy at school? Or being elected "most beautiful" or "popular" or "cool"?

There's a danger in daydreams, especially if they lead to discontentment with the uniqueness God has created in each of us. We are His works of art with gifts and talents waiting to be discovered and developed. We can waste our lives wishing we were someone or something else. Or we can capture our imaginations for Christ, taking our thoughts captive and focusing on what pleases and honors Him.

Here's our 2006 challenge. Let's turn our imaginations toward eternity. Let's ask God to show us how we can change our world by loving the least and living a set-apart life--not conforming to this world, but transforming our hearts, minds, and dreams into a playground for His Holy Spirit.

It's a new year. Life is too short to squander it on empty fantasies. There's a God in Heaven who does exceeding abundantly beyond all we ask or think! So fasten your seatbelts, gang. I have a feeling this is going to be a wild and wonderful adventure . . .