Growing up, I got really into the stories I read and watched. The foundation was laid when my mother first read The Chronicles of Narnia to me as a child, but it truly began when I read The Lord of the Rings the summer before sixth grade. There was a magic that was roused within me and I became addicted to stories, to characters, to adventures and mysteries.

I know how that sounds, a little wacky and completely unbelievable. I mean, come on, who is actually addicted to stories. That’s mental! Let me back up a bit. When I said I got really into stories, I meant it. My mother would say I “obsessed," and if I’m honest she wasn’t that far off. My cousins and I played imaginary games based in the fictional worlds we consumed, and even when they out grew such antics, I continued to tell myself stories as I lay in bed at night waiting for sleep.

Those characters became my imaginary friends. They were my playmates when I was lonely and they helped me to continue the development of my imagination. That might seem silly to some, after all, imagination is for children, right? Why would a twenty-one-year-old need to utilize her imagination? I disagree with both these sentiments. Imagination is not simply something for children. It is an important part of who we are as humans, as image-bearers of God.

Imagination is what brings change in the world. If you cannot imagine the world, or your life, any different or any better than it already is then nothing is ever going to change. The terrible things that happen in the world will continue to happen, and the good things won’t be enough to counteract them.

Imagination ignites creativity. Without it there would be no great works of art. No stories, plays, films, paintings or symphonies. And while art is not–strictly speaking–necessary for life, it does make life more beautiful and more enjoyable.

Imagination is also great for problem solving. When we are presented with a problem we immediately begin imagining ways around it. We flip through the options we have and through any possible consequences that those options might carry with them. Imagination is the closest we can get to clairvoyance.

But perhaps the most important reason that I’m glad to have held onto my imagination is that it is a beautiful gift. With imagination comes hope. Life is a chaotic, messy place and it hurts sometimes. Saying goodbye to people you love, not getting the job that you desperately wanted, leaving behind your old life to start over in a new place: those are scary and painful things, but imagination gives us hope. Because of imagination you can think of the next time you’ll say hello rather than focusing on the goodbyes, you can imagine a better job, you can stop seeing the terrifying and become the adventurer.

So hold onto your imaginary friends, hold tight to the stories that fuel your imagination. Don’t let “adulthood” shove you out into reality with no life preserver. You need your imagination. Logic, facts and knowledge might make you smart, but I am convinced that imagination helps lead you to wisdom. Most importantly, you need hope to stand against all the circumstances and troubles that fight make us hopeless.