Imagination Station

I love boy's imaginations. I see chairs placed in the living room while I mop the floor. Boys see trains, an obstacle course, a trampoline. These chairs take them to destinations far away. To me they are just a pile of chairs. To them they are hours of fun. Later when Hannah and Clara woke up they joined in on the fun. All four of them were on the train. Of course the girls had to bring down all their stuffed animals, blankets, and pillows.

Last week Hannah and I went to see the movie "Bridge to Terabithia". I loved it!! It was far more dramatic than I had expected. The thing I enjoyed about the movie is that it reminded me of the importance of imagination. Sometimes as an adult I forget to dream, forget to play, forget to enjoy life. Life gets in the way. Responsibilities get in the way. But the reality is this life is a shadow of what is to come in eternity. The shadow only reveals so much. It leaves much room for imagination regarding what the real thing looks like. The real thing will be amazing. For now I must be content to imagine.

I'm reading a great book "Celebration of Discipline". It is compelling! It speaks to the importance of imagination in several places. A couple of quotes "We can descend with the mind into the heart most easily through imagination...Perhaps some rare individuals experience God through abstract contemplation alone, but most of us need to be more deeply rooted in the senses. We must not despise this simpler, more humble route into God's presence. Jesus himself taught in this manner, making constant appeal to the imagination." And the other quote, "We who follow Christ can risk going against cultural tide. Let's with abandon relish the fantasy games of children. Let's see visions and dream dreams. Let's play, sing, laugh. The imagination can release a flood of creative ideas, and can be lots of fun.".

Maybe rather than saying I must be content to imagine, a better statement might be "I get to imagine." Unfortunately I'm a bit out of practice, but as one of my favorite characters Anne of Green Gables says "There is so much scope for the imagination." It's a good thing I'm surrounded by this passal of children. I've much to learn from them.