Three ways what you imagine can change you

Imagine. It’s a power word, really.

It invites possibility. Things not yet apparent. Things not yet real.

It’s the perfect word to enter a new year and especially a new decade. What can you imagine for your life in 2020? In the next 10 years?

Go ahead. Imagine the answer to that question. It can change you.

It can make you more resilient. You likely devote much of your thought life to your current challenges and opportunities. But what if you took a little time to imagine new possibilities? What if you gave yourself the freedom to really think outside the box (to use a tired metaphor)? You might discover new options you haven’t considered because you were so focused on today’s challenges. As Alexander Graham Bell once wrote, “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” And here’s the key…there are always open doors. Knowing that will make you more resilient to any challenge you face today.

It can make you more joyful. When you know there are always options—new possibilities, new doors—it makes you a more joyful person. You are not stuck in your circumstances, like a trapped animal. You are an explorer, and while you may be camped here today, there are new things to pursue tomorrow. You have purpose. Today’s challenges are strengthening you for the road ahead. Knowing that can bring joy—regardless of your present suffering.

It can make you more attractive. Who would you rather spend time with, Tigger or Eeyore? With one who is adventurous, or one who expects calamity? I know who I’d prefer hang out with. Sure, we might get ourselves into messes from time to time, but we’ll also accumulate more friends along the way. People are drawn to those with courage, with vision, and with those who hone their imagination.

Certainly, not everything you imagine will come to pass. But to dampen your imagination because you have other things to worry about right now wraps you up into a very tight package. As you enter the new year, give yourself the gift of being freed from that.

So, go ahead. Imagine. What are the possibilities for your life?

As you do, consider these words from the Bible: God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. (Ephesians 3:20 The Message)

Imagine that.

Comment below: What are other benefits to honing your imagination?

4 thoughts on “Three ways what you imagine can change you

  1. A perfectly timed word (actually a bunch of them) Leary. I’m thankful for the many years of friendship and wisdom you’ve graciously shared with so many. I’m grateful for every word!

  2. Imagining new things seems to take my focus off myself and the present. I can set aside any fears that have been bothering me while I “dream” or imagine. Sometimes it takes a concentrated effort on my part to disengage with those fears, and imagining can help me to let go of them. Needless to say, the Lord can get my attention much easier if I am open to something other than fear! Believe me, I am still new at this, but creative thought sounds much more fun than worrying!

  3. I really enjoyed reading the entire quote from Alexander Graham Bell. It is only human that we spend time mourning what we perceive to be lost opportunities. Looking back on my life, it was not evident when certain doors closed how great the new opportunities would become. Or how the new opportunities defined who I am today. As I have said often, it seems that when I was furthest from God he was actually closest to me.

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