10/12/12
I was raised to believe in The Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Figuring out how each is the same as the other but is still separate is confusing, and quite honestly, it isn’t something I’ve ever questioned much… It just IS, because the Bible says so. End of discussion. No need for digging deeper.
Then, a few years ago, I did a Beth Moore Bible Study with some ladies in my church. I was, by a significant margin, the youngest in the group and I relished the opportunity to glean from these more experienced Christians, to learn from their experiences and their years of fellowship with the Lord. One thing I discovered, though, is that when it comes to The Holy Spirit, I wasn’t the only one working off of a “it just IS because it IS” approach. As we continued the study, I began to develop an understanding that has stuck with me. It’s elementary, but I sincerely believe that Biblical Truths aren’t meant to be complicated. What I now know was God revealing this concept to me came out something like this:
The Trinity, to me, is like a model of company leadership. You have God, the Father, who is sort’ve the brains of the operation – the CEO, you might say. He speaks, snaps His fingers, bats an eye, waves his hand – however you choose to believe He operates – and everything and everyone is called to action. Trees shoot up from the ground, babies are formed in their mother’s bellies, stars hang in the sky; life happens because God says so. But God demands perfection, and since we all know what happened with Adam and Eve, perfection in this life is virtually unattainable. Therefore, cue Jesus, the Son, who is sort’ve like the President of Human Resources. He is the epitome of compassion and intercession; He understands that we are going to screw up, and He literally goes to bat for us each time, reminding whomever needs to know that no matter what crime we commit, our sentence was pardoned because of what He did on Golgotha. Jesus has our back, all day, everyday; He is walking through life with us. And then, there is The Holy Spirit, or as I like to envision, The COO. See, God designs these elaborate plans for our lives, and Jesus kind of guides us through life to make sure we stick to the plan, but it’s the Holy Spirit that I believe ensures that the plan comes to fruition. It is through the Holy Spirit that life comes to fruition; effectively, it stirs the pot. It works together all these unexplainable chains-of-events that comprise these wicked awesome lives we, as followers of Christ, get to lead!
Sometimes I see The Holy Spirit as a cowboy holding a cattle prod, constantly nudging us and saying, “Get up! Go!” Then there are days when I recognize that The Holy Spirit has a flair for the dramatics – like when words come out of my mouth that I never would have spoken on my own, or when I watch a friend’s broken ankle be healed before my eyes! Effectively, I think The Holy Spirit looks different for everyone, because God didn’t design anyone of us to be reached the same way or to be moved by the same methods.
Do I still have questions? OF COURSE!
There are 9,549,372,108 new things that I experience everyday on The World Race. I’ve prayed (in English) for people to be healed of cancer standing beside friends who are praying just as fervently in a language I’ve never heard before. The Holy Spirit has given me words and revelations for my teammates that resonated perfectly with things they were feeling or struggling with, even when I had NO CLUE what was going on with them! I’ve been called to preach a sermon in next week’s revival meeting (did I mention I don’t exactly believe in female preachers?) and The Holy Spirit gave my name to other girls who confirmed the conviction I was feeling. The Holy Spirit moves constantly, and it is FOREVER stirring things up, mixing them to perfection and making them fit the awesome plan God has designed for our lives!
This is real. It isn’t easy. It isn’t always comfortable and it for sure is not always fun, but it’s the most alive I’ve ever felt in my life. God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit… none of this is wrapped up in experiences or circumstances or locations or people. No matter where you are, who you’re with, what you’re doing with you life or how many provisions you’ve been given to do it with, they are each there with you, helping whether you even know or accept them.
If you’re having trouble understanding The Trinity, or anything else about your Faith, The Bible, how God works, etc., please assert the freedom you have as His child to question, to inquire, and to seek out answers. I assure you, the revelations He can and will provide will blow your mind! (And you’ll be okay with it!)
Be Blessed,
Ashlee
