God is so many things. The Eternal One is beyond our human understanding, and humanity has called her many names throughout history (within the Jewish and Christians traditions, and beyond).
A multifaceted gem has many sides to it, each side changes how light is reflected and refracted. God, too, has many sides, and depending on where we’re looking we see a different image of God than someone else might. All these sides of God offer us a taste of this One Who Is Beyond Our Understanding.
How do you see God? Is God a… caregiver? …friend? …king? …ancient god? …a mystery? …an artist? …a gardener?
What in your life has helped you to see God in different ways?
The Trinity is one way ancient Christians saw the multifaceted presence of God in our world, and they gave names to each of these sides: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. But we have many names and images for God throughout scripture and the Christian witness. Can you name some?
The burning bush… the Spirit hovering over the waters… the pillar of fire… the still small voice…
Maybe you even have an image from your own life you like to use! Something that felt like God’s presence made known in the world.
Focusing on our experiences of God and the language that works for us, as we try to express those experiences, can be powerful for folks of all ages! While some find comfort in the Trinitarian formula, others can find it constraining. Hopefully, using the images of the clover and/or the multifaceted gem, we can help others to see the language of the Trinity as one way (but not the only way) to put words to our faith experiences.