The Spiritual Gift of Imagination

I played in a spaceship when I was seven years old. I spent hours exploring new worlds found in my imagination while never really leaving my backyard.

My spaceship? A stocky tree with great climbing branches planted next on the southeast corner of our house. Different limbs warped into sections of my spacecraft: the galley, the lookout, the bridge for guiding my rocket into the mysterious universe.

Sigh. I loved that tree.

One of my favorite books is The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen.  Henri imagines himself as the prodigal, as the older brother, even as the father and spiritual lessons sprout and flourish in the fertile ground of imagination.

Imagination is the ability to form a mental image of something not present to the senses. It is our capacity we have for innovative thinking and creative expression.

St. Ignatius Loyola was born in 1491 and is the founder of the Jesuits. His writing is a deep well for spiritual directors, those seeking discernment and anyone with a hunger to grow closer to God.

Ignatius encouraged the use of imagination in our spiritual walk.  He encourages us to see ourselves in the stories from the Bible. Who are the characters? What are they doing? Saying?

What does the scenery look like? Sound like? Smell like? What if I were one of them or even just a bystander observing the action?  What do I see different when the story becomes alive through imagination.

Our imagination is truly a gift from God, allowing us to see beyond what is and dream of what could be. We are made in the image of God, and our ability to imagine and create reflects His divine nature. This gift allows us to participate in our Creator’s ongoing work of beauty and goodness in the world.

Imagination gives us hope.

I have used this gift when I pray. Often I set an empty chair in front of me and imagine Jesus sitting there as we talk. I imagine Him asking me, “What do you want? Where are you right now?” What has surprised me over the years of this practice is so many times I only hear how He loves me (hard for me to hear to be honest) or we just enjoy each other’s presence with no words between us.

You can use your imagination with prayer using icons, paintings, flowers/nature, stained glass windows, music, and dance too. Be ready to be surprised. God loves to show us new ideas in our imagination with him.

Another good time to use imagination is when you are discerning the next right steps to take.  When faced for a decision imagine the consequences imagine if you followed one way or another. Does this bring you closer to God or take you away from Him? Does going in one direction bring you peace, energy, and hope or does it drain your spirit? Trying writing down what your life would look like after making a decision. This is one place keeping a journal is so helpful.

Signpost Inn Ministries is offering an upcoming Zoom webinar called “Reading the Gospels with Your Imagination” on Saturday, June 13, 2026. In this webinar, you’ll learn a simple practice for using your imagination to encounter Jesus in Scripture. You’ll walk away with a new perspective on reading scripture, having had an encounter with the living God.  

You can register here: https://www.signpostinn.org/events. The cost is $35 or Pay-What-You-Want.  I signed up for this and thought others may be interested in learning this spiritual practice.

Imagination is a gift God wants us to open, to learn from and be shaped into the person God wants us to be. Yes there are limitations and even possible traps in using our imagination, but God will guide us in this wisdom and in His love.

How do you use your imagination spiritually?