The Feather Duster (May 8, 2013)

…Opening To…

Once I heard and answered all the questions
of the crickets,
And joined the crying of each falling dying
flake of snow,
Once I spoke the language of the flowers…
How did it go?
How did it go? (Shel Silverstein, “Forgotten Language”)

…Listening In…

Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us; glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21; context)

…Filling Up…

As we grow up, we lose access to many faculties we had in early childhood. One of these is Imagination. Now, of course, we do not lose this faculty fully; the ability to imagine can stick around for a lifetime. But the imagination of early childhood is special. There are no bounds associated with it because the child doesn’t know what a boundary is. There are no inhibitions that halt the display of such imagination. Whereas an older child or an adult might feel foolish chatting to imaginary people, the small child sees it as the most natural thing in the world.

There need be no prompting or stimulus. The imagination carries the child into new worlds that seem just as real as the real world because the real world hasn’t been explored yet. Exploration of the real and imagined worlds happens simultaneously, much to the bewilderment of parents, who see their children fascinated by the most ordinary things. Of course, to the child, the feather duster isn’t a feather duster – it’s a rare bird migrating home to Antarctica.

Because the imagination of early childhood is so untamed, it is much better at communing with the source of imagination. We are made in the image and likeness of God. Because we are made in God’s image, we have the ability to imagine. Just as God imagined and then spoke creation into being, our imaginations help us see and celebrate all the amazing links between our world and our world’s Creator. By accessing the imagination of early childhood, we can unleash ourselves from the oppression of words like “impossibility.” We can imagine ourselves into God’s presence and discover that we were there all the while.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you created me in your image and likeness. Help me to create in response to your great creation, and help me to love in response to your great love. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.