Read: John 10:30; 14:16-20, 26

“Mom, what does ‘Trinity’ mean?” Kaylee asked one afternoon. “Pastor Banks said that word in his sermon this morning.”

“It means that God the Father, God the Son—that’s Jesus—and God the Holy Spirit are three persons, yet they are one God,” explained Mom. “The word ‘Trinity’ isn’t found in the Bible, but the idea of one God in three persons is found in several places. I’ll show you a few of them.”

Just then the doorbell rang. It was Mom’s sister, who had come to drop off some tools she had borrowed. Kaylee grabbed a book and read on the couch while Mom and Aunt Laura chatted in the kitchen.

Aunt Laura had just left when Dad hurried into the room. “Honey, have you seen my black jacket?” he asked Kaylee’s mother.

“I think I saw it in a closet recently,” said Mom. “I’ll go look.”

A little while later, Mom came back into the room and reached for her Bible. “Now,” she said, “let’s see if I can find some verses and think of an example to help you understand the Trinity.”

Kaylee smiled. “Actually, I already thought of an example—you!”

“Me?” said Mom, looking puzzled.

Kaylee nodded. “You’re just one person, but you’re Aunt Laura’s sister, Dad’s wife, and my mother—one, two, three! As a sister, wife, and mother, you do different things for all three of us, but you’re still just one you.”

Mom laughed. “Well, that’s not quite how it works, but I’m glad to see you’re thinking it through. The Trinity is more than just one person being different things to different people—the Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct persons, yet still one God. It’s hard for us to understand because God is beyond our complete understanding.”

“Yeah,” said Kaylee. “It’s hard to understand, all right!”

“The important thing for us to remember is that even though we can’t understand everything about God, we can trust Him because of His great love for us,” said Mom. “He loves us so much that God the Father sent God the Son—Jesus—to die for our sins. When we put our faith in Jesus, God the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts as a promise that we will be with God forever.”

–Lois A. Teufel

How about you? Do you find the Trinity hard to understand? That’s because God is bigger than what our human minds can fully grasp. So don’t worry if you don’t understand God completely. Keep learning all you can, and remember that the most important things the Bible says about Him are things you can understand—that He loves you, died for you, and will always be with those who trust in Him.

Today's Key Verse: May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: God is “three-in-one”