We seem to live in a generation that is once again taking hold of the idea of having a creative mind. I know living in New Zealand, this society wants all people, especially the young, to learn to think for themselves and to see that nothing is impossible with a little imagination.
Children have a great way of seeing the world. They seem to see things in a way that no one else sees. And they seem to never see the same thing twice. What I mean by that is, for children, the world is always changing and that is exciting for them! I am not so sure we as adults always see the changing world in the same light. There are so many reasons that Jesus would tell people to become like little children and I think this is one of those reasons. Because we need to see the world as exciting and see that the sky is the limit with the things that are possible.
As Christians we tend to say phrases like “nothing is impossible with God,” but then rarely act on that truth. We say God is all powerful and can make anything happen and yet how often to we act upon that power to do amazing things in our lives and in our society. I know that I lack the faith that can move mountains!
But what if we began to see the world in a different light? What if we began to see things that could be as if they were? What if we began to see the unseen things God is doing in our lives and in our society? What if we began to imagine the unimagined?
Brain McLaren once said, “Everyone needs to rethink their lives as individuals, and we need to rethink our direction as a culture and imagine an unimagined future for our world. Because the kingdom of God is here. You can count on this.”
What McLaren is getting at is changing our worldview, changing the way we see things. See our worldview encompasses everything in our life (assumptions, beliefs, values, inherited ideas from family, friends, teachers, culture, etc.) and it effects the way we see the world around us.
What God has challenged us to do is to change our worldview and see things through the lenses of His eyes. He challenges us to think of things not in terms of what they are, but rather of what they could be.
Like a child, we need to rethink our world daily. We need to learn to imagine other ways of seeing things and in doing so sometimes we will experience a radical conversion in our lives from one worldview to another. From our worldview to God’s worldview.
Radical change happens when we allow ourselves to open up and be vulnerable to the will of God. When we begin to see things that aren’t as if they were. And when we can help others experience this transformation, they will experience a change in worldview as well and a change in lifestyle. A change that happens deep in their soul!
As God’s people, stewards on the earth, that is what we are here to do. We are here to help people imagine what their lives could be like if they allowed Christ to completely own them. To imagine becoming what they were ultimately created to be. To imagine their lives forever changed and to be able to see what God is doing in their lives, family and community.
Justin Cherry 