God's Gift of Imagination

God's gift of the human imagination is limitless.  We can go on a "date" with our brains, alone in a coffee shop and fly to a land of possibilities.  Armed with pen and paper plus an open mind, great things can be created.  Albert Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Knowledge, we can learn from books and people, but imagination is unique to each one of us.  There can never be two same imaginations, like a thumbprint or a voice print.  A good imagination gives us an edge.  Like mastering any craft, imagination needs practice. The lesser you use it, the shallower it gets.  The more you use it, the broader your vision becomes.

The challenge  is closing the gap between our imagination and current reality.  Achieve this and we'll have progress.  Robert Orben wrote, “There are only two kinds of people in this world. The realists and the dreamers. The realists know where they are going and the dreamers have already been there.” 

It is good to store ideas in a notebook or on an online journal. Many of these ideas may not seem relevant today, even bordering to crazy funny.  But as time progresses, these ideas if anointed, will take root and bloom at the time most needed.  Just watch Back to the Future and you'll realize that some things there, like talking face to face on a screen, are already happening today.  

Don't be afraid to dream, for if the vision is clear, the resources will fall into place.  People contribute to something they believe in. Just look at the amazing amount of knowledge people share for free to Wikipedia or the solutions people provide in online forums, or the story of how the American people contributed to finance the Statue of Liberty. In faith, they just need to see what you see, and believe in what you believe.

Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” John 20:28

Are we a "doubting Thomas?"  We need to have great faith for God's plans in our lives to happen.  In the 3 years of Christ's ministry on earth, many times the Lord described the vision of the Kingdom of God in ways we can understand, through parables.  Christ shared His vision, the Father's will, and people followed and contributed.  

It's amazing that even if we take a shot in imagining how great God is, the reality of His greatness will still be unfathomable. He is beyond imagination. 

Let us use God's gift of imagination to do great things for Him. After all, God invented imagination, and we are to utilize it to build His kingdom.

Are We Idiots Or Are We Wise?

I just saw an Indian movie called "3 idiots."  They were called as such because they always challenged the norm, specially that of the teaching and learning methods in their engineering school.  Due to the protagonist's "against the tide" influence, they would always get into all sorts of trouble specially with their school director. And so, most often they would be called idiots because of their mischiefs and radical views.  At the end, they all followed their hearts and became fulfilled in the road they took in following their passion. They were the wise ones after all.

Technically, an idiot is a term used for someone who does not have the mental capicity over the age of a 3 year old. It pertains to a foolish person. I am reminded of what the Bible says about man's wisdom compared to God's foolishness.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength (1 Cor. 1:25).

This means that no matter what kind of invention, discovery, or theory man has achieved over the centuries, God's foolishness is still wiser.  But where can God's wisdom be found? Little do we realize that we have been gifted such, His Word, the Bible.

You may be an intellectual or someone this world calls a genius.  You may have read tons of pages and mastered your field and have several Phd degrees. Yet, have you been wise enough to study the source of true wisdom?  Just relate this to the amount of time spent you read on other books as compared to the time you take in understanding the Bible.

To be an idiot in God's eyes would not be to take His advice through his Spirit inspired Holy Bible.  I recall many days when I failed to consult Scripture.  I thought I was wise enough and strong enough, that I did not bother with His wisdom. Oh how I miserably failed!

But following God's wisdom goes "against the tide." We'll get in trouble. We'll be called idiots.  Try being pro-life and others will tell you that you're crazy not to use a condom, and you're trying too hard to go natural. Try not to be corrupt in the workplace, and you'll be branded "hindi marunong makisama or mahirap kausap (not easy to get along with or hard to deal with)." Try staying pure before marriage and you'll be teased as if being virgin is a curse.

Let us choose to be wise in the eyes of God and be willing "idiots" in the eyes of men for the sake of Christ and His righteousness. In the end, the rewards in heaven will surpass even our own imaginations.  Then will we realize that we weren't idiots after all.