My youngest son and I were sitting on the porch at sunset watching a flock of robins prissing around in the yard. I love how they lean back, push their breasts out, and strut arrogantly around. Wish I could put a pocket watch in their rusty orange vests and drape the chain down. The bird feeders were full of cardinals and a few doves were bobbing around prim and proper in their pink high heels. All of the sudden all the birds take flight like a jet airplane and the little neighborhood kestrel dives down lickety-split right in front of us and grabs a robin off the ground. Left a few robin wing feathers and a pile of delicate down feathers. It’s unusual for the robins to forage in my yard. They always stay across the street. Guess they won’t be back after that. Nature can be brutal in its beauty. The little falcon was handsomely dressed in his rusty brown plumage with grayish blue wings. When God was dressing the falcon he dotted its feathers with black drops from his watercolor brushes. They are beautiful creatures.

Fatty squirrel has been a haint today. I caught him taking the lid off one of the bird feeders outside the lady den windows. He’s bold and brave. I was almost close enough to thump him off the bird feeder. He jumped down, stopped and stood up looking at me all defiant. I stood my ground and said, “Bring it on, Fatty!” I squirted him with the peppermint oil I use to deter the raccoons. Hope his ladies won’t mind his peppermint oil scented aftershave tonight. I sprayed the bird feeder pole, too, so he’ll slide down the pole instead of climbing up. I’m telling you, that fat little squirrel can clean out a feeder quickly. He’s monopolized the bird feeder camera all day putting his little butt right in front of the camera lens while he uses both hands to stuff himself with sunflower seeds.

One of the greatest gifts God has given us is our imagination. I found a brown water oak leaf in the grass tonight dotted with little honey colored spots. My imagination took over and I convinced myself the drops were from Mother Nature’s watercolor brushes. Sure enough, as I glanced at the sunset being painted across the horizon I could see the same golden honey being stroked across the landscape that I see on the leaf in my hand.

I think imaginations are such wonderful things. I love my imagination and it’s always working overtime like a child’s. I love imagining human qualities in animals and inanimate objects. Imagination sparks creativity. I know the world would be void of so many magnificent works of art and volumes of literature without the use of the creator’s imagination. Everyone has the ability to imagine but everyone doesn’t use it. I think God used his imagination when he created the Earth and all its inhabitants.

Imagination is a gift from God. Our imagination can be a tool for our faith allowing us to visualize God and his promises of heaven. Our imagination helps us to believe in things we cannot see. We can use our imagination to see beyond what we’ve experienced already, expanding our minds to see beyond what we believe is possible. We can create mental pictures in our minds to see the world as others see it. We can have more sympathy and empathy when we imagine walking in others darkness.

When we pray to God we imagine through our faith that he is listening to our prayers and we believe he will answer our needs and wishes. We trust in God’s plan for our lives. We can see the warm eyes of God through our imaginations and see the wonders of heaven come alive in our thoughts. Francis Schaeffer said, “The Christian is the real free man — he is free to have imagination. This too is our heritage. The Christian is the one whose imagination should fly beyond the stars.”

Napoleon Hill says it best. “Imagination is the most marvelous, miraculous, inconceivably powerful force the world has ever known.”

“Imagination is the eye of the soul.” — Joseph Joubert