The concept of three in one, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, all being one and the same just smacked me upside the head. I truly could never conceive how this was possible, agreeing with it not out of understanding but just because it was the definition given. For whatever reason, today I understand the clarification. It was an aha moment, or for some a Duh, where’ve you been one.
To break it down in its simplest form, and in the way I came to understand it, think first and foremost relationally. And this seems to be the spot most of us can’t comprehend. We have this far off concept of God being up there in heaven issuing orders instead of actually His residing in and through us. But back to thinking relationally and in human context…I chose to look at marriage, where 2 become 1. This just means instead of operating on a self-centered basis, when two enter marriage they combine their assets, their outlook on life and more; even while continuing to operate sometimes individualistically.
I was married for 30 years until my husband passed away a short time ago. I never felt "controlled" by him, and hopefully he never felt controlled by me, but in saying that, I will also mention that in decision making areas, we would discuss the options and then agree or agree to disagree on the process we would follow. When we agreed, we were thinking like mindedly and in essence as one. To further this analogy, even when we agreed, one of us would take the lead in accomplishing whatever it was we were pursuing.
There is first God as the Father. Then, Jesus as the Son, who became man so that we could have a relationship with God, and the One who established the bond of God and man through the understanding of the troubles, and hurts we suffer. Finally there is the Holy Spirit as the part of God who resides in us.
Where our trouble comes is that relationally many if not most of us want to be THE god in our own lives. We want what we want, when we want it, how we want it and then as if that isn’t good enough, we want everyone to agree with us. Unfortunately, many make their lives revolve around their own god status and then wonder why chaos ensues.
God is not our financial well being, our careers, our possessions or even our popularity. God really couldn’t care less about those things. I just started reading a book by the author of the Shack, Wm. Paul Young. This new book, "Cross Roads" uses an illustration of a financially well off man, who trusts no one and who’s belief system is so out of whack that the concept of God is thought of as a children’s story. What’s real? What’s the truth? Do you know?
As the book opens, this man has a traumatic episode and so happens to meet up with a "Jesus" like man while his life hangs in limbo (coma). He is surveying the sites he encounters and sees utter desolation and condemns it. He is shocked as he finds out that this desolation is really the internal condition of his soul. What is written so graphically makes me cringe to drive by abandoned areas left to ruin. Next time you are in your car, and drive past such a place, internalize it and then ask, is that what my soul looks like?
You know what I miss most in my widow-hood? It is the connection between Bruce and I, a connection that was 32 years in the making. Is that part of my life over? I don’t believe so, but unfortunately many people aren’t willing to "connect" and share, we have grown accustomed to self-centeredness, after all, if we don’t fend for ourselves, no one else will! Will they? I don’t believe that too be true, but rare is the person willing to open up their heart to just anyone. Yet, Jesus lived that way. He didn’t hold a high-ranking job, He wasn’t popular, He didn’t own anything and yet He was always giving…of Himself. This is what is meant about His being relational. He chose to be part of the community surrounding Him. That is what I still yearn for, to feel "a part" of something. It is difficult after 30 years to be the sole voice in decisions, it isn’t that I can’t, it is more that I miss the sharing.
Getting back to "Cross Roads" and the bleakness of where the character finds himself, he asks a very pertinent question "did he send the people away, or did they leave of their own accord?" The answer was very insightful, when we don’t deal with (death) and I’m substituting for clarity the word (turmoil) everyone in your life becomes a catalyst for pain or dead to you.
Is there a difference between truth and reality or is it a mind game? What makes something either true or real? Is it the same for everyone? Is it fair to judge someone else on his or her truth or reality? What would give us the right to do so?
I think as long as we operate on the individualistic basis, the gardens of our souls will wind up looking chaotic and we will feel a yearning for something we can’t explain and then consequently the need to continue trying to fill that void with more. More of everything we don’t need or even want, even though at a moment’s notice we believe we do both want and need it. What we need is to feel a part of…necessary because…but we mistakenly believe that this is fulfilled by humanness. It is sad for those who believe that to be true, because it was NOT why we were put on this earth.
Our purpose, if we CHOOSE to accept it, is to love others. That is it. If we love others, as much as we love ourselves, there wouldn’t be disagreements, conflicts, judgments etc. God isn’t a "freak" with multiple personalities. He is in community, a bonding of three very unique beings, who are capable of thinking; feeling and relating on the levels that we can each individualistically comprehend.
God, the Father is perfect, the only perfection there is. Jesus the son, is the conduit that links our problems, sufferings, our joy, in essence our humanness to God. The Holy Spirit, was the everlasting bond given since Jesus had to die for us to be made acceptable. You can't negate what was, just because the role changes...I was married, I am a Mom. The changes made in my roles in each of these two circumstances don't nullify them, it makes my person multidimensional. And That is the point, I'm trying to make about God!
To break it down in its simplest form, and in the way I came to understand it, think first and foremost relationally. And this seems to be the spot most of us can’t comprehend. We have this far off concept of God being up there in heaven issuing orders instead of actually His residing in and through us. But back to thinking relationally and in human context…I chose to look at marriage, where 2 become 1. This just means instead of operating on a self-centered basis, when two enter marriage they combine their assets, their outlook on life and more; even while continuing to operate sometimes individualistically.
I was married for 30 years until my husband passed away a short time ago. I never felt "controlled" by him, and hopefully he never felt controlled by me, but in saying that, I will also mention that in decision making areas, we would discuss the options and then agree or agree to disagree on the process we would follow. When we agreed, we were thinking like mindedly and in essence as one. To further this analogy, even when we agreed, one of us would take the lead in accomplishing whatever it was we were pursuing.
There is first God as the Father. Then, Jesus as the Son, who became man so that we could have a relationship with God, and the One who established the bond of God and man through the understanding of the troubles, and hurts we suffer. Finally there is the Holy Spirit as the part of God who resides in us.
Where our trouble comes is that relationally many if not most of us want to be THE god in our own lives. We want what we want, when we want it, how we want it and then as if that isn’t good enough, we want everyone to agree with us. Unfortunately, many make their lives revolve around their own god status and then wonder why chaos ensues.
God is not our financial well being, our careers, our possessions or even our popularity. God really couldn’t care less about those things. I just started reading a book by the author of the Shack, Wm. Paul Young. This new book, "Cross Roads" uses an illustration of a financially well off man, who trusts no one and who’s belief system is so out of whack that the concept of God is thought of as a children’s story. What’s real? What’s the truth? Do you know?
As the book opens, this man has a traumatic episode and so happens to meet up with a "Jesus" like man while his life hangs in limbo (coma). He is surveying the sites he encounters and sees utter desolation and condemns it. He is shocked as he finds out that this desolation is really the internal condition of his soul. What is written so graphically makes me cringe to drive by abandoned areas left to ruin. Next time you are in your car, and drive past such a place, internalize it and then ask, is that what my soul looks like?
You know what I miss most in my widow-hood? It is the connection between Bruce and I, a connection that was 32 years in the making. Is that part of my life over? I don’t believe so, but unfortunately many people aren’t willing to "connect" and share, we have grown accustomed to self-centeredness, after all, if we don’t fend for ourselves, no one else will! Will they? I don’t believe that too be true, but rare is the person willing to open up their heart to just anyone. Yet, Jesus lived that way. He didn’t hold a high-ranking job, He wasn’t popular, He didn’t own anything and yet He was always giving…of Himself. This is what is meant about His being relational. He chose to be part of the community surrounding Him. That is what I still yearn for, to feel "a part" of something. It is difficult after 30 years to be the sole voice in decisions, it isn’t that I can’t, it is more that I miss the sharing.
Getting back to "Cross Roads" and the bleakness of where the character finds himself, he asks a very pertinent question "did he send the people away, or did they leave of their own accord?" The answer was very insightful, when we don’t deal with (death) and I’m substituting for clarity the word (turmoil) everyone in your life becomes a catalyst for pain or dead to you.
Is there a difference between truth and reality or is it a mind game? What makes something either true or real? Is it the same for everyone? Is it fair to judge someone else on his or her truth or reality? What would give us the right to do so?
I think as long as we operate on the individualistic basis, the gardens of our souls will wind up looking chaotic and we will feel a yearning for something we can’t explain and then consequently the need to continue trying to fill that void with more. More of everything we don’t need or even want, even though at a moment’s notice we believe we do both want and need it. What we need is to feel a part of…necessary because…but we mistakenly believe that this is fulfilled by humanness. It is sad for those who believe that to be true, because it was NOT why we were put on this earth.
Our purpose, if we CHOOSE to accept it, is to love others. That is it. If we love others, as much as we love ourselves, there wouldn’t be disagreements, conflicts, judgments etc. God isn’t a "freak" with multiple personalities. He is in community, a bonding of three very unique beings, who are capable of thinking; feeling and relating on the levels that we can each individualistically comprehend.
God, the Father is perfect, the only perfection there is. Jesus the son, is the conduit that links our problems, sufferings, our joy, in essence our humanness to God. The Holy Spirit, was the everlasting bond given since Jesus had to die for us to be made acceptable. You can't negate what was, just because the role changes...I was married, I am a Mom. The changes made in my roles in each of these two circumstances don't nullify them, it makes my person multidimensional. And That is the point, I'm trying to make about God!
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