You probably know the story of the kid who’s busy with crayons and who is aked by her teacher, “What are you drawing?” “I’m drawing God,” she replies. “You can’t draw God,” says the teacher, “nobody knows what God looks like.” The girl looks up and announces to the teacher, “They will when I’ve finished this picture!”
One of the great graces given to me in the last several years is the insight that my imagination is a gift from God, so however I picture Jesus, the disciples and the various scenes from the Bible in my prayer is fine for me. There is no need for me to worry about the “accuracy” of my imagination. Like the little girl, I can draw a picture of God…
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Eric 03.11.09 at 8:59 pm
Paul,
Nothing to add except to second that imagination is a wonderful gift for prayer.
Eric
Annie 03.12.09 at 6:34 am
Good Morning Paul,
Isn’t it wonderful to know, really know, that the imagination imagines “the real.” Recognizing the awesomeness of this gift brings tears to my eyes. When I was a child I had to walk back and forth to school alone (I was out of district). For two hours I would talk to God as my Father and Mary as my Mother. One tender memory was skipping down the road between them holding their hand. Thanks for the reflection on our imagination.
Annie
Paul 03.12.09 at 7:11 am
Annie,
What a marvelous gift you were given! I love the idea of skipping down the road holding the hands of the Father and Mary. Thank you for sharing it with me.
Paul