Imagination!

The other morning, as I was thoroughly enjoying a romp through the scriptures in my personal study, I came across a verse that spoke to my heart and captured my mind:
 "...he shall mount up in the imagination  of his thoughts as upon eagles' wings."

 Now, anyone who knows me is aware that I have been blessed with an abundance of imagination.  In some cases (usually during classes involving Algebra), I have a bit too much imagination, which often results in odd comments, excessive doodling, and apologies to teachers (and, occasionally, mission presidents) that I had not been paying attention and did not, in fact, hear the question.
 Although these are definite drawbacks to having an overactive imagination, I have a special place in my heart for the ability to ponder, wonder, and create, all within the confines of our own craniums.

 What would reading be like if we could not picture the words coming to life in our minds?  What would sleeping be like if we didn't have the wondrous (and sometimes, profoundly random) dreams that fill the space between dusk and dawn?  What would living be like if we could not dream, hope, and conceive?
 That I don't want to imagine.

 As I pondered (wooh!!) upon this subject, I realized that our Heavenly Father must have the greatest imagination of all.  I mean, all things on this earth and in the universe only came to be because He created it. "For I, the Lord God, created all things...spiritually before they were naturally upon the face of the earth."  Before we do anything, we have to think it first.  That is the beauty of the imagination: it is the laboratory inside all of us where we test, hypothesize, reject, or create.  Any idea must go through this cerebral crucible before it comes to life through or words or actions.  Through this, we learn what works, and what doesn't work.  We grow and progress, our thinking improves, our logic sharpens, our capacity to create expands.  We learn from failed ideas, and revel in successful ones.  When asked about his eventual success at creating the lightbulb, Thomas Edison said, "I have not failed 10,000 times. I have

successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work."
 In the profound words of Dr. Seuss, "Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!"
 The imagination is truly a wondrous gift from a very creative Father.  I believe we could all stand to devote a little more time to pondering and dreaming! As we do so, we follow in the footsteps of Him who imagined up everything.
  Then perhaps we, too, may "mount up...as upon eagles wings" in worlds of our own creation.

The Art of Life

My illustration for "the cowboy code"

 For anyone who knows me, it isn't much of a secret that I am something of an artist.  I wouldn't claim to be particularly skilled, but I sure am persistant at what I do! I love drawing, expressing myself, and bringing images in my head to life using only graphite and paper. I think mankind has an inherent love to create; to make things, to build, to express ourselves.  I imagine we inherit this from our Father in Heaven, by whom came all Creation. Yet, of all the endless cosmos, the innumerable celestial bodies created by His hand, there is one great purpose behind it all:
 "..To bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."
 That's a pretty amazing thought!  I've seen a lot of beautiful things in my short tenure on this Earth, and I'm sure there are countless more wondrous things I haven't.  But we, the children of God, are greater than them all.



  When I think of drawing, and how much goes into creating a masterpiece, I can't help but compare it to us, God's greatest masterpieces-to-be.
 A masterpiece contains many elements that artists will train diligently for years to perfect: light, shadow, perspective, color... the list goes on and on. All of these things must be present to accomplish the end result of a true work of art. To stand the test of time, it must be created, patiently, lovingly, stroke by stroke.
 So we too are created, line upon line, experience by experience.
 As we make decisions, day by day, lines are unconsciously added.  As we face trials and opposition, the shadows on the paper appear, adding depth to the work. With joyful experiences, light is imbued to the painting, balancing out the dark with stark contrast, with all of the subtle shades in between.




 

 Now, these elements alone are enough to create something. To an artist, a work in this stage is merely a draft; a sketch.  However, to be a truly complete work, something that will hang in a museum to be admired for a millenia to come, there must be something more: color.
 Color can come from many sources, and many media.  Oils, pastels, pencils, chalk; there are many different ways to express it. 
 In a similar way, it is love that adds this final, crucial touch to our lives.  There are many kinds of love, and many ways to express it and receive it.  It is when we develop this trait, and show it to others, that we begin to realize the true potential of what this masterpiece can become.  Brilliant hues become vivid on the canvas as we serve others, cooling shades shimmer as we show forgiveness and compassion, and a spectrum of other chromas irridescently blush to life as we develop hearts that love.

 And finally, exultantly, the master will put down the brush and survey His finished work.  What was once a blank canvas, clear and full of potential, has now, through trials and triumphs, sorrow and joy, laughter and tears, become something much greater than that once-blank canvas could ever had imagined it would be.

 It will be a masterpiece.