“Fallow ground becomes fertile ground when God ideas take root and bear fruit. My advice? The ruthless elimination of hurry! . . . But you still have to prioritize dreaming personally and professionally. If you don’t, you’ll stop creating the future and start repeating the past. That’s the way, that’s the day, you stop dreaming and start dying.”- Mark Batterson
“For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the seventh year you let the land lie unplowed and unused.”- Exodus 23:10 (NIV)
Mark Batterson continues Chapter 4 of Gradually Then Suddenly as he cites this old axiom — idle hands are the devil’s workshop. Certainly, Mark doesn’t advocate abdication of duty. However, he knows, fallow ground provides the fertile ground where God ideas take root and bear fruit.
Most significantly, Pastor Batterson notes, that certainly rang true for John Ronald Rauel Tolkien. So, where did Tolkien’s fertile imagination that birthed his magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings, come from? A book that’s sold more than 150 million copies.
After Tolkien fought in the front lines during World War I, he convalesced from trench fever at a British hospital. Above all, that unwanted downtime served as a gift. Because it granted time for Tolkien’s imagination to run wild.
But Tolkien’s legacy transcends his writing skills. For Tolkien eventually won this man over to Christianity — C. S. Lewis. In fact, Lewis once referred to himself as the most reluctant convert in all of Christendom. But that shows the impact of a sanctified imagination.
In conclusion, Pastor Batterson notes the comments of Ian Bradley, who asserts that too many Christians today possess a half-formed imagination. And, Mark adds, this results in a deformed soul. For without imagination, he contends, long vision loses its purpose.
Today’s question: What most helps you prioritize dreaming on a personal and professional level? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Following Jesus, no greater adventure”