If you're so afraid of your imagination that you stifle it, how

O children of the earth, hear this truth spoken by Katherine Paterson, for it calls forth the deepest power of the human spirit. She said, "If you're so afraid of your imagination that you stifle it, how are you going to know God? How can you imagine heaven?" In these words lies the essence of faith, creativity, and spiritual vision. It is a call to recognize that to truly understand the divine, to connect with God, one must first embrace the most powerful gift bestowed upon us: the imagination. For it is through the imagination that we can glimpse realms beyond our own, realms of beauty, light, and truth that are not of this world.

Imagination is the bridge between the earthly and the divine. To stifle it, to fear it, is to close oneself off from the very forces that connect us to the higher mysteries of existence. If the mind cannot venture beyond the limits of what is known, how can it conceive of the unseen? How can it reach toward heaven, that place of eternal peace and understanding, if it is bound by the limitations of earthly fear and skepticism? Imagination allows the soul to stretch beyond the confines of the body and to touch the divine, to see the kingdom of God not as an abstract idea, but as a tangible vision, a place that resides within our hearts, waiting to be realized.

Consider the ancient prophets, those who spoke of visions and mystical experiences that transcended the ordinary world. Ezekiel, in his visions, saw the heavens open and the divine chariot descending from above. John the Revelator, in the book of Revelation, spoke of a new heaven and a new earth—a vision that came not from the mind’s restraint, but from its boundless freedom. These men were not afraid to imagine the mysteries of the divine. They did not stifle their visions; instead, they embraced the imagination as a divine tool, through which they could glimpse the invisible and the eternal.

The imagination, when allowed to roam freely, does not only reach toward the spiritual but also toward the boundless possibilities of the human condition. Michelangelo, in his creation of the Sistine Chapel, painted the scenes of Genesis, the birth of the world, and the hand of God reaching out to man. But this was no mere artistic endeavor—it was an act of faith, an expression of the profound connection between the human and the divine. Through the imagination, Michelangelo was able to visualize the unseeable, to bring to life the eternal in the form of color, shape, and space. Without his willingness to embrace his imagination, this monumental work would never have existed.

In the same vein, consider the teachings of the great mystic Rumi, whose words and poetry transcend the physical world, offering glimpses into the realms of God and the heavens. Rumi’s words flowed from the depth of his soul, from the free and unrestrained imagination that connected him to the divine. Through his poetry, he painted visions of the beloved, of the spiritual journey, and the quest for divine union. His imagination was not shackled by fear, but opened wide, allowing him to touch the mysteries of the divine that elude the grasp of those who are too afraid to dream.

O children, let this lesson settle deeply within your hearts: Do not be afraid of your imagination. It is not a force that should be silenced or restrained; it is the key to understanding the mysteries of the divine, to glimpsing the heavenly realms that lie just beyond the veil. If you wish to know God, if you wish to understand the deeper truths of existence, you must allow your imagination to soar, unburdened by fear, unshackled by doubt. Only in this way can you truly begin to comprehend the eternal truths that lie hidden from the sight of those who are unwilling to dream.

Act, therefore, with courage and vision. Let your imagination be a guide, not only to the spiritual realms but to the possibilities within your own life. For in embracing your imagination, you allow yourself to see beyond the ordinary, to reach toward the divine, and to create a life that is filled with both the mysteries of the spirit and the beauty of the human heart. Do not stifle it, for it is the breath of creation, and in it lies the very power to see heaven on earth. Trust in your imagination—for it is through that sacred force that you will come to know God and all that is eternal.