{"id":730,"date":"2017-07-20T15:36:50","date_gmt":"2017-07-20T15:36:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.wordpress.com\/?p=730"},"modified":"2017-07-20T15:36:50","modified_gmt":"2017-07-20T15:36:50","slug":"imagination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/?p=730","title":{"rendered":"Imagination"},"content":{"rendered":"

In our society, at the age of five, 90% of the population measures “high creativity”. \u00a0By the age of seven, the figure has dropped to 10%. \u00a0And the percentage of adults with high creativity has dropped to 2%.*<\/span><\/p>\n

Madeleine L’Engle,\u00a0Walking on Water:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I was shocked when I read this 15 years ago and vowed this would not happen to my child. \u00a0So, by the time my daughter was five, she had a boat load of stuffed animals and dolls, each with his or her own name and story. \u00a0She came back to those friends and stories every day looking for what happened next. \u00a0Though fun, I found all of this to be an exhausting mental work out, particularly because my own imaginative muscle was very weak.<\/p>\n

I would have never guessed that the silly role playing we did over the years would help me connect with God. \u00a0Almost without my noticing (no doubt spurred on by the Holy Spirit) I began to pause over passages, trying to imagine what it would look like for them to come to life in me, my relationships or my community. \u00a0In I Corinthians 12 we are instructed to view each individual of the body of Christ as having equal value and as essential to the whole of the body. \u00a0Can you imagine living in such a community? \u00a0One where no one’s gifts were thought of as more important or impressive or preferred than any other. \u00a0But where every person and their contribution to the community was equally and highly valued. \u00a0Nobody was one up and nobody was one down. \u00a0Each person appreciated and delighted in. \u00a0The Holy Spirit given credit for every good thing that happens and each of us grateful to simply be His vessel. \u00a0Sit with that for a few minutes and consider what it would feel like to live that way. \u00a0Incredible, huh? \u00a0If you’re sensing the awesomeness of this vision for community then you are using your imagination.<\/p>\n

Without imagination it is very hard to play, very hard to hope and very hard to know God. \u00a0 It is with our imagination that we move deeper into knowledge and understanding. \u00a0Our imagination enables us to see with our hearts what reason and logic do not perceive. \u00a0It is what we need when the promises of God seem so far from our own realities. \u00a0It is what fuels faith and hope. \u00a0If your engagement with the scriptures leaves you feeling flat and detached, it’s possible that what is missing is the use of your imagination. \u00a0The Word doesn’t touch you because you can’t “see” it’s goodness and truth.<\/p>\n

I ask my clients to engage with their imaginations often in the counseling process. \u00a0Those out of practice often feel foolish and self-conscious when I ask them to “close your eyes and imagine …. ” \u00a0Those who dive right in, experience more and receive more because they are able to enter the process more deeply. \u00a0 It is our imagination that takes us into deeper levels of knowledge, for it enables us to experience the realness of the invisible.<\/p>\n

Passion also flows out of imagination. \u00a0It is much easier to be excited about something or to buy into an idea if we catch a vision for it. \u00a0“Catching a vision” is an imaginative activity. \u00a0Others can do it for us, and they do through books, songs, movies, ect. \u00a0But if you don’t want to be dependent on someone else getting you motivated or inspired, than you’ve got to be exercising your imagination on a regular basis. \u00a0If you want to see with greater depth the goodness and wonder of God, try this: \u00a0ponder over the next few days a job you would like to have in heaven, where all our labors will be a blessing to others (1Cor12:7). \u00a0 I’d LOVE to hear what you come up with!<\/p>\n

The man who has no imagination has no wings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Muhannad Ali<\/span><\/p>\n

*<\/span>L’Engle was quoting Finley Eversole, in The Politics of Creativity<\/em>. \u00a0She wrote her book in 1980, which is 37 years ago, and I do think in some environments, creativity and imagination are getting good attention. \u00a0Case in point: \u00a0millennials are being recognized for being great entrepreneurs, good at thinking outside the box.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In our society, at the age of five, 90% of the population measures “high creativity”. \u00a0By the age of seven, the figure has dropped to 10%. \u00a0And the percentage of adults with high creativity has dropped to 2%.* Madeleine L’Engle,\u00a0Walking on Water: I was shocked when I read this 15 years ago and vowed this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deeperricherfuller.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}