Imagine...

With God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

In the first Star Wars movie, Han Solo is reluctant to play rescuer to Princess Leia. Luke appeals to his greed, saying that the reward would be more wealth than Han could imagine. Interested but still wary, Solo relies “I don’t know, I can imagine quite a bit.”

It’s amazing what people can imagine. Leonardo DaVinci could imagine human beings flying like the birds, a dream that inspired the Wright brothers into making the first airplane. Martin Luther King, Jr. could imagine a world where people were judged on the content of their character, not the color of their skin, a dream that energized the Civil Rights movement.

Imagination is a powerful thing—it can make people dream of things that seem impossible or unattainable. Imagination sets us apart from birds, animals, and sea life—they only live in the moment or in response to instinctual behavior. The ability to imagine great things allows humans to write poetry, produce art, and work for goals that can transcend a lifetime.

Of course, Han Solo’s imagination was limited by selfish desire. Imagination can lead to terrible things. War and terrorism come from the imaginations of men like Adolph Hitler and Osama bin Laden. Darwin’s theory of evolution has devalued human life by replacing the loving hand of God with accidental mutation as the cause for our existence. It’s no wonder that educators used to discourage imagination in their students.

But imagination is a gift from God. It takes faith to believe in the Almighty. It takes imagination to write hymns of praise to God above, design stained glass windows that illustrate the life of Christ, carve statues depicting God’s angelic messengers. Animals live in the moment; they cannot dream of heaven like we do. Only we can face death with hope of resurrection and a reunion with our loved ones who have died in the faith.

Jesus said, with God, all things are possible. Are you like Han Solo? Can you imagine quite a bit? If you count Jesus as your friend, you can imagine all sorts of wonderful things—things that are real and true, now and always.