Whenever I'm reading the Bible, my number one most favorite thing to do is to imagine. I know, I know...sounds kinda' weird, or nerdy, or just plain dumb. It probably has something to do with the fact that my dad's an English teacher, so I grew up appreciating reading and stretching my mind....so yea, I guess it does have something to do with being a part-time nerd!

But on the other hand, I think it has to do mostly with the fact that I've recently come to realize and appreciate the fact that its God who has given us our imagination. The same Almighty God who flung the stars into the sky, rolled the earth into existence, and breathed life into every being here took the time to instill in us an imagination. With God, there are no accidents. Everything He puts into action has a purpose! So if He's given it to us, I think you would agree its pretty clear what we're to do with it....USE IT!! :)

So like I said earlier, I like to use my imagination whenever I'm reading stories in the Bible...and I encourage you to do the same! Try to look deeper into it than what the scriptures provide. Let me give you one such example:

I was reading Luke 5:17-26 today...go ahead and read it. I'll wait for ya'. Done? Ok, good. As you know from reading it, its the story about Jesus healing the paralytic man who was lowered through the roof of the house Jesus happened to be preaching in. Imagine it if you will...the house was so jam-packed that they couldn't even squeeze through a window, much less the front door!! Think about the paralytic man's 3 or 4 buddies who were carrying him....they may have been carrying him all day just to get to the same town Jesus was in. And when they finally get there, they can't even get to him b/c there's so many stinkin' people! They probably tried squeezing him in there through every possibly opening in the house too. So now they're sittin outside the house scratching their heads. I bet they were probably even a little ticked. Wouldn't you be?? I know I would have been. Carrying my friend in the dryness and heat all day to see if this Jesus fella' could actually make the lame walk....and then getting there to discover that they can't even get into the same building! Yea, I definitely woulda' been talking some major junk!

But let's take a different route: imagine being the poor paralyzed chap. Imagine waking up that morning after not being able to even lift your leg or arm your whole life and thinking..."Maybe today's the day! Maybe I get to hug my wife today! Maybe I get to run back to my house!" You get to where Jesus is supposed to be and its really crowded. In fact, you can't even see him! And then you see your friends' tired, red faces and you know that something's wrong. They're not telling you what's going on, but you can tell they're frustrated. They put you on the ground and walk away for a bit...you're trying to figure out what in the world is going on! Some time passes and then they all of a sudden come running back to you! They're pretty excited and are breathing heavy...and before you know it, they're carrying you up a ladder onto a roof! And, well...I'll let you use your imagination to come up with the rest. :)

Let me just encourage you to think about what was going through that paralyzed man's head. One word keeps popping into my head: maybe. Maybe is a great word...b/c when it is being used, it means someone is using their imagination. When you say "maybe", you're thinking about what could be. That paralyzed fella' probably had that word runnin through his mind over and over.

Do you long for something better? Do you have a dream that you've thought will never happen? Well let me fill you in on a little secret: The paralyzed guy in Luke 4 probably dreamed of walking again every day...but likely figured it'd never happen. Philippians 4:13 tells us all things are possible through Christ Jesus. So today, try saying to yourself "Maybe..." I know it sounds a little far-fetched or just plain weird. But probably not as much as the idea of the paralyzed man being able to carry his mat home that night.

"Deeper"
I want to be weaker
Be a help to the strong
I want to run faster
But this old leg won't carry me
I want to be, I want to be.
Maybe I could run
Maybe I could fly, to you.