God meets me sometimes in my imagination, stands at the doorway of all of my memories and invites me to walk with him there.
Emily P. Freeman, Simply Tuesday
Have you ever considered the presence of God inside your own imagination? Ever imagined Him being your guide as you take a stroll down memory lane or spend time in reflection over events past and present? I have to be honest and say that I never had. That is until I read this sentence in Simply Tuesday: “God meets me sometimes in my imagination, stands at the doorway of all of my memories and invites me to walk with him there.” As someone who has spent a lot of time inside my own memories and imagination, the idea of God meeting me there was immediately intriguing to me. And the more I dwell on the idea the more I like it.
I have always been keen on writing, photography, and other creative pursuits. And as a child, I think the deepest parts of my soul understand that these were more than just hobbies. They were spiritual practices. But somewhere along the way, I began to believe that spiritual things were limited to those activities that happen inside of a church. That for something to be holy it must come from the mouth of an ordained pastor at the pulpit or from the church calendar of planned and approved activities. But the more I dive into creativity the more I see God there.
Perhaps one of the most direct ways we can see God in our creativeness is by seeing Him as a creator. My art and my stories are a mere echo of what he has already done. It is his art and his creation that inspire my own. When I capture the perfect landscape shot, the smile between a young couple in love, or any other beautiful scene in my camera, I am simply capturing His creation. When I write a short story about fictional characters, I am reusing the themes of grace, brokenness, and restoration that he has taught me. When I create I am embracing my likeness to my Heavenly Father. I am, after all, made in His image. So doesn’t it just make sense that if my Father is an artist, a writer, a creator of beautiful things I may be a bit of that, too?
If you have spent time reading other creatives then maybe you have already thought about that first part. But there is another aspect of inviting God into my imagination that I am just now processing. I recently listened to a podcast about the difficulty of giving ourselves permission to write as women. The speaker mentioned that those of us with big imaginations may benefit from imagining a conversation with God on the topic. Do I have a new book idea I’m not sure if I should start on? Do I struggle to set aside a day of the week for my writing because I feel like I am not a ‘real’ writer? What if I sat down in a cozy room in my mind and imagined that God was sitting in front of me there. When I tell him, ‘So God, I really want to write this book but I’m not sure anyone will read it.’ How might he respond to me? Knowing that he is loving and good I can be sure he wouldn’t respond with harsh words or unnecessary criticism. In fact, I imagine that he would remind me that writing that book isn’t about becoming famous. It’s about putting the words to paper that will transform my own heart. It’s about offering them up even if there is only one reader whose life will be impacted. It’s about understanding that He himself wrote the greatest, most life-changing book of all! And I am simply following faithfully in His footsteps. Meeting God in my imagination proves to be a refreshing and encouraging way to engage with the Heavenly Father I already spend time with over His word and in prayer. A way to make the head knowledge I have more real to my heart.
Still, there is another aspect of inviting God into our imagination. I bet you didn’t think I would have so much to say on this one topic when you began reading. But let’s go back to that Emily P. Freeman quote: “God meets me sometimes in my imagination, stands at the doorway of all of my memories and invites me to walk with him there.” What does it mean for God to invite me to walk with him in my memories? Emily goes on to give more context to this part of the quote in her book. She talks of the way God is able to bring certain memories to mind in His time. Memories that help us see how we have grown or need to grow. Memories that he uses to teach us and show us where he is leading. I have found this to be true in my own life, and if you take a moment to think I am sure you can see it in yours. Have you ever had a long-buried memory resurface at just the right time? Maybe it’s a lesson you learned years ago that now helps you counsel someone going through a similar struggle. Maybe it is you yourself who is facing a situation that seems impossible until God brings to mind the memory of a time you faced this situation before and He was faithful to see you through it. We see with the Israelites that God was a big fan of using memories to speak to his people. They set up monuments, wrote things down, and spoke about them with their children. Because God knew that if they did not remember they would repeat the past in the worst ways possible. And worse, they would turn their backs on him and on his promises. So what did He do? He asked them to remember. He, if you will, ‘stood at the doorway’ of Israel’s memories and invited both them and their children to walk with Him there.
In the new testament, Jesus tells us that we must be like little children. Another topic Emily touches in her book. And isn’t it true that children have the wildest imaginations? They come up with scenarios that even we adults have never thought of in our lifetimes. It brings to mind when little boys compare God to their favorite things like dinosaurs or lions. They might say something like ‘God is stronger than a lion!’ or ‘God is even bigger than a t-rex!’ To us, these may seem like obvious facts. But how often do we stop to really think about how big and strong God is on a practical level? And how would it change our faith and our lives if we did so a little more often? Sure I know that God is bigger than a lion or a t-rex. But do I know that he is bigger than my anxiety? My feelings of inadequacy? Or the unplanned expenses that ring up to a total much larger than my paycheck? I quite literally laughed out loud as I imagined God in a fight with a $5,000 check. It looks absolutely silly in my mind. But you know what? He still wins. And right now in my imagination, I am met with the reality that God is strong and good and sovereign. Even when I am tempted to think my problems are a little too silly or too mundane to worry Him with.
Perhaps, like me, you know what it’s like to have a faith that you try to fit inside a neat little box. Or a faith that comes from the pulpit and the pastor-approved activities and stops there. And maybe you have come to realize that this so-called adult faith is actually pretty boring. If so, I invite you to join me as we step into the world of childlikeness. Of imagination. And to be totally amazed when God shows up to meet you there.
May you wander with Him through fields of flowers present and past. May you take comfort in His presence when it’s time to remember the hard things. And may you have the childlike spirit to sit down and chat with him about how cool it is that he is actually bigger than a t-rex and stronger than a lion.
May you always accept the invitation when God shows up to meet you in your imagination.
