I recently read a few articles in the Journal of Biblical Counseling about counseling children.  Many of the same, overarching principles are discussed in each article.  One of the main points is that children should be taught to connect God’s story (the Gospel) with their story.  And in order to do that, imagination is required, because it isn’t possible for us to experience God’s story with our five senses. 

And then I realized that most of the time, it’s difficult for me to connect the Gospel to my practical, every day life because I lack imagination. 

Adults are taught that imagination is irresponsible and immature.  That imagination is something that is childish, and we must outgrow it. 

But as Christians, we need to use our imaginations to understand things like eternity, grace, heaven, and hell.  I wonder how many people reject Christianity simply because it sounds like a fairy tale.  There are times when I reject (practically) certain biblical truths because it just “doesn’t make sense.”  I rely on my own, feeble, finite, human knowledge instead of choosing to have faith–to believe something that I don’t fully comprehend.

I think that faith is the grown-up word for imagination.

Here is the Merriam-Webster definition of imagination:

1: the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality2 a: creative ability b: ability to confront and deal with a problem : resourcefulness <use your imagination and get us out of here> c: the thinking or active mind : interest <stories that fired the imagination>3 a: a creation of the mind; especially : an idealized or poetic creation b: fanciful or empty assumption

And here is the Merriam-Webster definition of faith:

1 a: allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty b (1): fidelity to one’s promises (2): sincerity of intentions2 a (1): belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2): belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1): firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2): complete trust3: something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs <the Protestant faith>

It seems that imagination of some sort would be required to have faith.  We are taught that our imaginations are reserved for fiction: that whatever we imagine isn’t real or true.  But in matters of faith, our imaginations allow us to believe.  Imagination allows us to believe that God’s story is intimately connected and interwoven with our own.  That today, as I go about seemingly mundane, meaningless tasks, God’s redemptive purpose is unfolding in the midst of it.  Interwoven into every moment of my existence is everything that He is.  He is so great that even my wildest imagination can’t contain His intricate purpose and plan.