How to Liberate Your Imagination: A Personal Example

Scripture — 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (NRSV)

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

Devotion

In yesterday’s Life for Leaders devotion, I talked about our need to have our imaginations released. I suggested, based on 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, that the Holy Spirit can renew our minds in a way that liberates our imaginations in a redemptive way. Whereas if we were left to our own devices we might see a situation as hopeless, the Spirit can help us see with hopeful imagination what God is able and ready to do.

I’d like to share an example of how the Spirit did this very thing in my imagination. Years ago, when I was serving as pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church, there was a member of the church whom I found particularly irksome. This man, whom I’ll call “Paul,” wasn’t intentionally mean or hurtful. But he was overly demanding of my attention and persistently negative. He was also the sort of person who stood way too close to me when we talked, invading my space. Whenever we talked, Paul went on and on, seemingly unconcerned that I had other people to care for and other work to do. He was also someone who seemed to be stuck in life, including his relationships, his work, and his faith. Honestly, I didn’t like Paul very much and would sometimes try to avoid him.

But the Lord helped me see that my attitude concerning Paul wasn’t right for a follower of Jesus, not to mention for Paul’s pastor. I had some repenting to do, after which I asked the Lord to help me see Paul in a new light. I didn’t use the word “imagination” in my prayers at that time, but that’s what I was seeking. I needed God to stoke the fires of my redemptive imagination for Paul. In time, the Holy Spirit did indeed begin to set me free from my bad attitude and lack of vision. I began to see the potential in my brother in Christ that I had been missing.

I don’t have the space here to share all of what happened in our relationship over the years. But I will say that I was amazed to see what God did in Paul’s life and through him in the lives of many others. I’m not claiming to be the major cause of his transformation, mind you. That was the work of the Spirit. But I was able to exercise my redemptive imagination so that I could be a stronger supporter and encourager of my brother. At some points, I gladly invested quite a bit of time in Paul as his supervisor and teacher.

I stopped being the pastor of the Irvine church 16 years ago, moving away from where Paul lived. Yet, to this day, he and I continue to communicate, now mainly through email with occasional personal visits. When I see a note from Paul in my inbox, I feel gladness and gratitude. Talk about a changed heart!

Paul has done wonderful things with his life, things neither he nor I would have envisioned when we first met and he was so stuck. He has grown magnificently in his faith and I truly enjoy his company and friendship. I am grateful for all that the Spirit has done in Paul’s life. And I am grateful for how the Spirit set my imagination free to see Paul, not from my biased human perspective, but from the perspective of God’s amazing grace.

I expect that some who read this Life for Leaders devotion will relate to what I’ve shared in a personal way. You can remember a time when the Spirit liberated your imagination concerning some person or situation. I’m sure other readers may not remember if they’ve had such an experience and that’s just fine. But what I want to say to you today regardless of your previous experience is this: No matter the particular challenges you’re facing today, whether at work or at home, in your relationships or in your community, in your leadership or your discipleship, God’s Spirit is at work in you, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom: freedom to imagine, freedom to dream, freedom to fail, freedom to confess, freedom to grow, freedom to serve others with vision and compassion.

Banner image by Kristina VC on Unsplash.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Freedom in Christ.

Subscribe to Life for Leaders

Sign up to receive a Life for Leaders devotional each day in your inbox. It’s free to subscribe and you can unsubscribe at any time.