We begin with the breathtaking claim that humanity is made “in the image and likeness of God” (Genesis 1:26–27). God is not only holy and just; God is also Creator. The first pages of Scripture show a God who speaks light into darkness, shapes form out of chaos, and delights in colour, texture and variety. To be human is to share something of that creative impulse. Imagination is therefore not a luxury or childish indulgence; it is part of our very design.

When Paul prays for the Ephesians that “the eyes of your heart may be enlightened” (Eph. 1:18), he invites them to see with a deeper vision. Christian imagination is not the escape of fantasy but the Spirit’s gift of perceiving reality more fully, seeing what is hidden, discerning what could be, and trusting what God promises before it is visible. The prophets lived this way. Isaiah pictured a peaceable kingdom where wolves and lambs’ dwell together. Ezekiel saw a valley of dry bones come alive. These were not mere dreams but Spirit-inspired pictures of God’s future breaking into the present.

Mystics across the centuries have recognised this inner sight. Teresa of Ávila described the soul as a vast interior castle where Christ dwells in radiant light. Brother Lawrence imagined himself washing pots and pans in the kitchen as though he were at the Lord’s Table. Such vision transforms the ordinary into sacrament.

Our challenge is to reclaim imagination as holy ground. To pause long enough to picture the world as God longs for it to be. To allow Scripture to paint fresh colours on the canvas of our hearts. To invite the Spirit to enlarge our capacity for wonder, empathy and hope. This is not only for artists or poets but for every follower of Christ who longs to live awake.

Prayer:
Creator God, who called light out of darkness, awaken my imagination to Your glory. Cleanse my mind of false fantasies and fill my heart with visions of Your Kingdom. May I see with the eyes of Christ, delight in Your beauty, and live as a sign of Your new creation. Amen.