The Magic of Imagination

First – Think

Second – Believe

Third – Dream

And Finally – Dare

~ Walt Disney

Oftentimes I have wondered what the world would have been like, if there was no Disney. Surely it would have been different. Even though most of Disney’s productions are based upon fantasy and has little to do with the world we are actually a part of, the Disney way of thinking tells us something important; that our dreams can come true, if we dare to believe in the magic.

What is magic then? Does it even exist? What kind of experience would fit the description of “magic”?

I believe magic is what really touches our hearts. When we experience something surreal, something extraordinary that lifts us and make us expand and heighten our perception, we instantly feel we have been touched by magic. Though it can also be found in smaller contexts; when something causes us to stop for a minute, forget about our everyday struggles, and just take a deep breath as we immerse into the beautiful – wonderous – amazing. It could be a gaze into a baby’s eyes, a few words from a loved one, a smile, a special song, a breathtaking scene of nature, a photo, a poem… just about anything.

I’d like to modify the Disney quote just a little; adding the word imagine:

First – imagine. Imagine what life could be like. Second – believe it could actually come true. Third – allow yourself to dream your magic thought. And finally – take the leap – dare.

What you can imagine – what you believe, you can achieve. That’s where it all begins. That is the magic of imagination.

Spiritually Miraculous

“The scientifically impossible I do right away

The spiritually miraculous takes a bit longer..”

Being confident is good. Seeing life through the colors of optimism also. However, I think we can all agree that the above quote may be just a little too optimistic..!!!

Although it is obviously meant to be taken humorously; I still think it’s a great quote. Because it says something about the importance of believing in yourself. We may not be able to accomplish anything we set out to do in life, at least not by our own force alone. But what is undoubtedly true is this; if we don’t believe we can make a difference, we probably never will.

When I was younger I used to have a somewhat similar (though not quite as bold) approach to life. I remember saying to my friends

There’s no such thing as “impossible” – what appears to be impossible only takes a little patience

Now being a bit older and (hopefully) wiser, I am tempted to add; sometimes a lot of patience. Even so, with a few exceptions; I still believe it. Very few things in life are actually impossible. And if we truly believe we can make a difference, and we are willing to put some effort into it, most things can be done.

However, if what we aim to accomplish is the spiritually miraculous, it’s probably a good idea to realize that we may need a little help along the way )

Why Are We Afraid?

There was an article in the local newspaper yesterday. It started out by asking this question:

Does one have to be less intelligent to believe in God?

The answer, of course, would be no, clearly there is no connection between the two. But as I kept thinking about it; I realized that I must have heard this statement at least a hundred times before. It’s actually quite remarkable; and I’m left with this: Why do so many people seem to believe it; that those who have faith in God must be just a little less intelligent? What might be the answer to that question?

It occurs to me that we, as human beings living in a modern and enlightened world, we demand to have all the answers. We must be in control, continuously. And if we’re not, then we must by all means hide it.

But why are we so afraid to let go of this control? Why can we not admit we don’t know the answer to everything, that there are things we simply don’t understand? Picture this: If we did know the answer to all things, where would that lead us? Would we be able to handle that kind of information? Have we, the human race, proved to be worthy of that? Surely not.

Another question I’ve heard repeatedly is this: If you had a chance to meet God, and you had just one question, what would you ask?

I’m going to be perfectly honest; I don’t think I would have asked any question at all. If I had the privilege of “meeting” God, face to face, I don’t think asking a question even would have crossed my mind. The experience would have been much too powerful for asking questions.

Now, to balance, there is nothing wrong with being curious. On the contrary; searching for answers is a definite and necessary part of human nature, and should not be repressed. After all, that is what makes us move forward; exploring the world around us.

But it needs to be put into perspective; we may not need to find the answer to any question imaginable! Why do we assume that would even be good for us?

Every now and then I hear people referring to “scientific rational thinking”. They do this as if it was the only acceptable way of thinking, based on what can be seen and proven. But science has also been wrong a number of times throughout history. And the most horrendous actions have been taken also in the name of science, wrongly believing they had found the answer.

Clearly you don’t have to be less intelligent to believe in God. But you may have to be a bit receptive, just a tiny bit humble. You must have the ability to keep an open mind; and simply listen.

We don’t have all the answers, that’s a fact. And you know: it’s okay; we don’t need to. What we do need, however, is to have faith that there is more to this world than what is visible to the eye.

What is faith then? Here’s my definition: Faith is having confidence in what you can not see, or prove the existence of, and still you believe it to be true. Or as a friend once said to me: Faith is like a bird that starts to sing in the middle of the night, because it believes in the sunrise.

I believe in God. I have faith in Him. But I don’t see myself as any less intelligent because of this. However, I strive to always keep an open mind. To be receptive.

To be a listener.

Carrying us Home

I have a strange approach to flying. On one hand, I love it. I love the thrill of taking off, I love the sensational feeling of being up there among the blue skies; flying off to something new, I love the moment of landing, putting my feet (or rather; wheels) back on the ground. I’m all in all very fascinated by airplanes and airports. Still, flying scares me to death. Every single time I’m up there, I promise myself that if I only make it through this one journey, I will be so happy to be alive and never put my feet inside a plane again!

On this day on our way back from London, there was some turbulence and the plane was shaking quite a bit. I know of course, the aircraft is built to handle this and a little turbulence is no threat to life and safety. Still it didn’t feel good. And I was already holding my breath a bit, anxiously waiting to put my feet safely on the ground again. Then I looked out the left window, which was the opposite side from where I was seated, and I saw these clouds. I saw the light shine from behind them, and suddenly it became clear to me; I wasn’t alone up in the air. And I closed my eyes, and prayed. I prayed for God to lead me closer to him, to show me the right path to go. And then something strange happened. Suddenly, I could actually feel the power of the airplane. Just a couple of minutes earlier, I had been thinking about how small and helpless the plane were, all by itself high above the ground. But now, I could clearly sense the power, carrying the plane steadily forward. And my next thought was; God is carrying us home. I know it may sound stupid to some, but that’s what it felt like. For the rest of the journey, I let my shoulders down, and rested in Gods power. He carried us home, and when we approached the airport, he put us gently down on the ground again. After we had landed and I reunited with my husband, I found out he had taken this picture of the sun lighted clouds. Immediately I thought; this picture – although it was taken with our small family camera and the quality may not be that good – this is the new image header for my weblog.