The mind of imagination ...can imagine reality, and see truth. If we are like little children in this way, it is a great beginning ...if only we can match it with a little correct guidance.

Take a child who believes in Santa Claus (but, don't take if too far, as was the case with a parent video-taping his own amusing moments of telling his infant child he was going to take all his Christmas presents) ...and consider how Christmas may be the most exciting day of the year for that child.

If you tell the child that Santa doesn't exist (children are also bright enough to quickly conclude that the presents will no longer exist) ...that child may get quite upset.

I don't know any adults who'd get upset if I said Santa Claus doesn't exist ...but, I know plenty of adults who'd get plenty upset if I say some other things aren't true.

I've already experienced this when I stated that I don't believe in the evolution of man and woman.  Like it is more offensive to deny certain qualified pseudo-scientific theories than it is to say one does not believe God exists.  And I've also offended by denying the far-reaching fears of climate change.  Yet, if I mention that one's future climate depends rather more upon whether than the weather, that is to say, whether they accept Jesus ...now, some adults will get mad at that.

And by getting mad, I gather to say, that is not what Jesus meant by saying we should be like little children.

Yes, even as adults, we may scoff at any grown-up believing in Santa ...yet, we still believe in many things we are taught, that are not quite true.

Try telling your neighbor that the wise men are not supposed to be in the manger scene. Some would smile, and be very open to the comment ...while others would tell us to mind our own.

Some people are too open to change ...while others are too resistant to change.

I believe in the Bible, that it is the Word of God, and I am not open to changing what the Bible says ...though I am open to discussion, which would include a discussion about interpretation. Not changing what it says, but trying to understand what it says.

Not everything in the Bible is clear to me ...yet, the Bible is clearly true, to me.

There are other things in the Bible that are clear to me ...just as there are things in life that are clear to me.

You many see things in life that are clear to you ...that I don't see, just as I may feel I see things that you don't see.  But, God sees it all ...and I also believe that all that God shows or tells us is true.

We should not excite ourselves into believing what is not clearly stated ...but, we should also not ignore what is clearly written.  

Yes, many different religions claim their various authorities.  And our own natures also play into what we believe. Some people have an inclination to challenge.  Others tend to be cautious (which is good), as long as they are open to listening and willing to discuss it.

As little children, we are encouraged to open our mind ...not to dirty, disgusting, or immoral things; but to the imagination of fantasy.  It is often easier to be open to what is real, after having been exposed to the wonders of rather harmless fantasy.

What we find out later, with healthy guidance and teaching, that there are not multiple universes where there are various dimensions of reality.  There is a physical universe, and the other reality is that there is a spirit world ...but, they share the same space.

It may seem like many other dimensions are at play, or we may think only the one we see is real  ...yet we see with limited vision and personally experience within the parameters of self.  

"For we now see through a glass, darkly ..."   (I Corinthians 13:12)

Yet, if we read, or listen to others share their experiences we can move beyond self ...to a degree that is either beneficial or detrimental.

I've heard the statement, "Truth is that which is real to me."

But, that is living in the same physical world, yet often denying the facts of it.

Yes, feelings are real ...but, that doesn't mean the facts upon which they are based are true.

I once worked in a  Children's Institution ...and I was assigned a young teenage girl who was in the early stages of one acting out anorexic behavior.  She really seemed to think she was fat. Standing outside and letting the sun cast a close shadow on the building, I could ask her which shadow was fattest ...and she was too polite to say.  Eventually, I asked to see some photos of her when she was younger.  She had been on the track team at school.  I asked her if she knew that when she ran track she was more muscular and probably had less fat then ...than she likely had now, and that she likely ate all she wanted, felt healthier, and was happier about herself.

I think I eventually got through to her.  But, I was yet to have a bigger challenge ...as I was assigned another patient who was way more advanced with her struggle.  She was much taller, and liked basketball ...so, I told her I would take her to the gym if she agreed to eat a couple bites of something at 15 minute breaks.  She played hard, and she ate ...and I knew that she wasn't secretly doing something with the food because she was playing too energetically to stop to allow herself to get rid of the food.  And she wouldn't be able to run and cough it up, or I'd be also slipping in it as I played.

The problem was, that her therapist told her she couldn't play basketball anymore until she gained 5 pounds. It spelled failure as soon as the focus was on weight gain ...and it didn't help either that her therapist appeared to be almost as skinny as she was, and trying to be the one to control the situation.

Yes, feelings are real.  Comparisons are often damaging.  And attempting to force feelings usually spells disaster. Yet, though we may think we are wise ...what we do often doesn't work, and truth escapes us.

I know there are some who think they live in St. Elsewhere ...where reality can be whatever their mind can conceive it to be.  You can take a dozen people for a boat ride out into the vast ocean, to a place infested with sharks.  If all twelve people jump off the boat, I doubt the sharks would ignore those individuals who believed in their minds that the sharks were not there. Those individuals may survive a few minutes longer, as they may not be making as large of a commotion, attracting the shark's immediate attention ...but if there were enough sharks and they were hungry enough, the sharks would still exist whether they believed it or not. Though sadly, they themselves may not exist much longer.

I acknowledge that feelings do matter, the people who have the feelings matter, and both they and the feelings are real.  But, there are other things outside of ourselves that are real also ...and they do exist.

God exists ...and He doesn't just exist in each of our minds, in whatever convenient form we choose.  Real interactions and real things He has done are recorded in the Bible.  And if you are overwhelmed by reading the beginning (the Book of Genesis and beyond) ...then go to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They are real people who didn't follow an imaginary person. They followed the real Son of God ...Jesus.

And I really hope you can follow Him too.  It will be really beneficial for you.