There’s wisdom in dealing with reality on its own terms and not merely how we want it to be. At the same time, God has given us a creative spirit and the dignity of causation. We can imagine new possibilities and creatively shape the world around us. And it’s through this ability to dream again that we can generate more life and goodness in the world.
To be sure, kids are known for their active imaginations – easily creating new games and fantasy worlds. And even as young adults we might still imagine all the things we might be when we grow up. Of course, part of maturity is learning to ground our dreams in the reality of time and our human limitations. We cannot do everything.
At the same time, this is not to give up exercising our imaginations. To do so would be to settle for a static and boring life. Keeping our imaginations alive allows for us to consider new possibilities in our work and relationships, and even as we contend with social influences outside of our control.
For example, dreaming frees us to explore new ways to offer our strength over the different seasons of our life. What we were able to do as a young man might not be the same as our hair starting to turn gray. But perhaps there are still meaningful ways for us to show up.
When our marriage has grown stale we can keep doing the same thing, or we can dream again and consider what God might be up to in this season of our life together. Renewed possibilities give us a taste of our honeymoon again.
Likewise, while we cannot control the world around us, we can be cunning and wise in how we respond – learning to play with the cards we’ve been dealt.
Whatever it looks like, imagination is not just child’s play. It’s often an act of faith through the rest of life as well.
In the end, continue to exercise your imagination and consider what can be. Dreaming is an act of faith in a dark world.
