When I was a young lad from the cul-de-sac there was no limit to my imagination. I vividly remember many an afternoon in June or July taking part in an all-out campaign to defend the planet from the foulest, greenest, and most maniacal extra-terrestrials imaginable. They always had horrible aim with their lasers (and I was an expert marksman, of course); however, someone always had to die. It was a rule, I’m pretty sure. Luckily for the person who died, they enjoyed the spotlight for an agonizing five minutes as they constantly drew what seemed like their last breath.
And of course they were only dead for as long as it took to revive them with a Senzu bean
My friends and I even created an entire civilization. Once nomads, we settled down in two areas: my yard and my friends’ up in the cul-de-sac. We constructed small scale villages by creating a collection of forts out of logs, sticks, and lots and lots of duct tape. Each house had a purpose: blacksmith, bank, potion maker, and armory. The villages even had their own currency system (specially shaped and colored pebbles).
And because we were humans…we waged war against each other.
I say all this, because I still want to build forts. I find myself wishing I could go outside with a stick and create once again a new world all around me. The fire hydrants, sewers, trees, and cars would all give way to a foreign terrain inhabited by strange creatures with menacing powers. My own frail frame would transform once again before my eyes to become the hero with unmatched bravery and courage.
Then I remind myself that my imagination is not gone; but changed. Instead of creating the fantasy world that can never be I can help create the fantasy world that can and should be. What if we adults could dream like children to fix what is broken in our world and not be limited by what we see. Too often we are limited to what we see before our eyes.
There once was a time when we had no limit.
I pray that our imagination would be awakened and set to work on the world around us.
Tags: broken world, imagination, redemption
You know how there’s things that aren’t explicitly Scripture, but should be? My biggest one comes from “Rent”–”The opposite of war isn’t peace–it’s CREATION!” This is very well said my friend–very, very well said.