Faith and Imagination
Imagination... Did we lose it when we stopped looking at the stars as story-telling constellations, magic lights suspended? Worlds of light beyond touch but yet so close? Did we stuff it in our trunks with the slingshot of childhood adventures, the feather boas of dress-up, the toy doctor kits of "lets pretend," the dragons and trolls of magic? Did we as a church/culture lose it with the Englightenment, science, and the elevation of reason? Is it valid to talk about faith and imagination in the same sentence?
But imagination is what we cannot see, cannot concretely observe or grasp... It is a dwelling on richness we do not yet have, what the mind cannot conceive, what the eye has not yet seen, what the ear has not yet heard. Faith is imagination (1). Hope is imagination. Imagination is the intersection of what we see with the reality of God and what can be in his reality. Imagination is still allowing myself to be dazzled. It is looking into the darkness of the night, and seeing the stars, the stretching of the mind beyond, beyond the darkness to the light.
Faith is courageous imagination, vision. Not day-dreaming. But it is the mind, heart, and soul--the depths of our depths--stretching them beyond our shadow-reality to a greater reality. It is seeing our life with Christ in us, not according to our potential, but his. I can fall into the trap of reading a biblical passage: "That's not me. That's not where I am. I can't do that." I can fall into the trap of despair through the appearance that nothing is changing, that the unanswers or circumstances are large and overwhelming. "But..." Faith-imagination jumps in--What if the good God is working is better than how I define good? What if the story he is weaving is far greater than what I ask or imagine? What are his incredible riches here? What is his power working in my life? What if his stars are still piercing the darkness with story, rather than just balls of gas?
Faith-imagination is seeing ourselves and others in the potential of Christ. It is looking at the brokenness of my idolatry addiction, and seeing how the righteousness of Christ can help me respond differently. It is seeing myself in his potential, with his mighty power at work in me. It is casting a vision for what the other can be in Christ. It is seeing his starry glory piercing the dark clouds of night in my or another's life, and calling out that light in cooperation with what the Divine Author is doing.
Hope is imagination. We dwell on the eternity, the riches of heaven which put to shame the bright light of the stars. We focus on his light, his story, his wealth.
Hope-imagination is the writing of our story with an end of hope, even if we traverse the depths of the night. It is what allowed David to and the psalmists to write the psalms, crying out for help, but re-imagining what the situation is like in light of the reality of what God is. Re-imaging. Re-visioning. Re-writing. Praising for salvation even when it hasn't happened yet. Hope-imagination is an anchoring in this hope. It is seeing the Valley of Achor become a door of hope, the wilderness as a place of allurement (Hos. 2:15). It is touching and grasping the stars in the night.
Together, as a body of Christ, we cultivate this imagination, this hope. We cast vision and call to each other to live in Christ and let him live in us. And not to us, but he is then glorified. We proclaim his praises as we are called out of darkness into light. When we produce good fruit, dream bigger, call us to higher standards, we are more dependent on him and he is glorified as the only One who can do that in us. As we produce his fruit, he is glorified as the Vine, the Gardener, the Fruit Producer. As we shine like stars in a crooked and depraved generation, holding out the light of faith and hope, he is glorified as the Light who sustains us.
Faith is believing we can still be dazzled. Hope is holding out for the dazzling that will come. Faith-imagination and hope-imagination is still allowing myself to be dazzled, instead of closing myself in this darkness. He promises to dazzle us with his love--and the stars shine brighter in the darkness; his love shines brighter when things are dark.
NOTES
(1) Paul David Tripp. Relationships: A Mess Worth Making.
But imagination is what we cannot see, cannot concretely observe or grasp... It is a dwelling on richness we do not yet have, what the mind cannot conceive, what the eye has not yet seen, what the ear has not yet heard. Faith is imagination (1). Hope is imagination. Imagination is the intersection of what we see with the reality of God and what can be in his reality. Imagination is still allowing myself to be dazzled. It is looking into the darkness of the night, and seeing the stars, the stretching of the mind beyond, beyond the darkness to the light.
Faith is courageous imagination, vision. Not day-dreaming. But it is the mind, heart, and soul--the depths of our depths--stretching them beyond our shadow-reality to a greater reality. It is seeing our life with Christ in us, not according to our potential, but his. I can fall into the trap of reading a biblical passage: "That's not me. That's not where I am. I can't do that." I can fall into the trap of despair through the appearance that nothing is changing, that the unanswers or circumstances are large and overwhelming. "But..." Faith-imagination jumps in--What if the good God is working is better than how I define good? What if the story he is weaving is far greater than what I ask or imagine? What are his incredible riches here? What is his power working in my life? What if his stars are still piercing the darkness with story, rather than just balls of gas?
Faith-imagination is seeing ourselves and others in the potential of Christ. It is looking at the brokenness of my idolatry addiction, and seeing how the righteousness of Christ can help me respond differently. It is seeing myself in his potential, with his mighty power at work in me. It is casting a vision for what the other can be in Christ. It is seeing his starry glory piercing the dark clouds of night in my or another's life, and calling out that light in cooperation with what the Divine Author is doing.
Hope is imagination. We dwell on the eternity, the riches of heaven which put to shame the bright light of the stars. We focus on his light, his story, his wealth.
Hope-imagination is the writing of our story with an end of hope, even if we traverse the depths of the night. It is what allowed David to and the psalmists to write the psalms, crying out for help, but re-imagining what the situation is like in light of the reality of what God is. Re-imaging. Re-visioning. Re-writing. Praising for salvation even when it hasn't happened yet. Hope-imagination is an anchoring in this hope. It is seeing the Valley of Achor become a door of hope, the wilderness as a place of allurement (Hos. 2:15). It is touching and grasping the stars in the night.
Together, as a body of Christ, we cultivate this imagination, this hope. We cast vision and call to each other to live in Christ and let him live in us. And not to us, but he is then glorified. We proclaim his praises as we are called out of darkness into light. When we produce good fruit, dream bigger, call us to higher standards, we are more dependent on him and he is glorified as the only One who can do that in us. As we produce his fruit, he is glorified as the Vine, the Gardener, the Fruit Producer. As we shine like stars in a crooked and depraved generation, holding out the light of faith and hope, he is glorified as the Light who sustains us.
Faith is believing we can still be dazzled. Hope is holding out for the dazzling that will come. Faith-imagination and hope-imagination is still allowing myself to be dazzled, instead of closing myself in this darkness. He promises to dazzle us with his love--and the stars shine brighter in the darkness; his love shines brighter when things are dark.
NOTES
(1) Paul David Tripp. Relationships: A Mess Worth Making.
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