"To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified." ~ Isaiah 61:3

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

The Phoenix

I was born with an otherworldly imagination. As a child, I could become lost in that world of imagination, escaping for hours, oblivious to my surroundings and perfectly content in that. I could be anything or anyone, I could do anything, and everything…

 I was fearless…

Growing up, I had a farmish-type childhood existence, and with plenty of room to explore, my imagination flourished.  My father had a barn, with a hayloft.  There were Tarzan vines growing freely all over the ten acre woods behind our house. We had a tire swing. I had plenty of baby goats, chickens, dogs and cats to play with, and occasionally, my little sister, Karen. All of this was fuel for my already vibrant imagination.

Moreover, my neighbor, Sam, was a real cowboy. He had a horse, and I loved his horse, and Sam’s horse seemed to love me right back. As enormous as the horse would have been compared to me, I loved him and would hug and kiss him right in his big old face, and he would let me. Even at the very young age of 3, I was fearless

Life changes you…

As I grew older, because of life and all that it brings, my imagination waned, and I lost heart and I lost my hope, and fear set in, paralyzing, immobilizing fear...  

See, as darkness is the absence of light, fear is the absence of faith.  If you are fearful then you are faithless. Faith takes imagination. You see, faith, hope and imagination are interconnected. Without your imagination, you lose your vision for the future, your hope…

And “Where there is no vision (hope for the future), the people perish….” ~ Proverbs 29:18a (emphasis mine)

But God restores…even imaginations…nothing is too small, too trivial for Him, when it comes to me or you…

My imagination was important to me, my wonderment, my delight in discovery, all restored.  Because it was important to me, it was important to Him as well, because it brings me joy, and He delights in me and in my joy restored….

And now, my imagination is back with a vengeance…  

I have recently taken to referring to myself as The Phoenix at times, to begin with, because it’s fun to pretend, thinking of myself as a superhero, (from the movie X-Men). However, recently, I began to discover there was more to it, my pretending to be The Phoenix, a deeper meaning that I was unaware of, a meaning far more significant…

The Legend of the Phoenix

As legend has it, The Phoenix is a mythological creature that lives for up to 1000 years. Once that time is over, it builds its own funeral pyre, and throws itself into the flames. As it dies, it is reborn anew, and rises out of the ashes to live another 1000 years.[1]

Like the legend of the Phoenix, we were created to live for eternity. There’s no pretending in that, we are truly eternal spirit-beings. And like the Phoenix, I have experienced the death of my old life and resurrection to my new life. This new life, a life more abundant, where there is fullness, in Him…

While I am still flesh, the biggest part of me is spirit. My new self recognizes this.  I have experienced the death of my old life, before I was born-again, through the Spirit, and taking on the reality of the birth of my new life, out of the ashes of my past... like The Phoenix.  And while I am flesh, the biggest part of me is spirit.

Out of the ashes….

Oh, I have my off-days, yesterday was one of them. Our flesh, it screams for attention most of the time. However; flesh doesn’t mean a whole lot. What is important, what really matters about me, about you, is unseen, and that takes some imagination. Faith and surrendering our concept of what reality is, and reality is not what you see…

Reality is what God says, His Word, His promises. Reality is who God says you are. Reality is what God says you will become. Reality is how God sees your future. And if the enemy can take your imagination, your vision, then he has succeeded in robbing you of your hope, and your hope is where your future lies…

With my imagination restored, I have vision for my future, and in my future, I get my fearless back…

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to  harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11







[1] http://www.shades-of-night.com/aviary/phoenix.html

6 comments:

  1. Phoenix, wow. You have such writing talent that I believe you could make a good living at it. I have always been impressed with my own imagination and it has helped me through a tough childhood too! Great blog! Keep it up my friend,
    Hank

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  2. Oh... I got first comment! Remember that! ;)

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  3. well, Im going to get some wings one day too!

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  4. Hank, You're the first to sign my blog, yep, I'll remember! Thank you again! :)

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  5. :) You're right John, and the first to suggest that I blog in the first place :)

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