Intimacy Anchored in the Trinity
I have sung the Doxology, praising Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the hymn ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ extolling ‘God in three persons, blessed Trinity,” since I was a kid. However, the Trinity has not just been a mystery to me, and I suspect many of us, but a bit of an enigma we struggle to understand, so it had little impact on my relationship with God. Since joining Barnabas International three years ago, I’ve appreciated being stretched to understand and explore the Trinity. Each Christ-follower is invited to cultivate a growing love relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God invites us to know Him intimately as the great and mysterious three in one.
I keep a fidget spinner on my desk to remind me to anchor myself in my relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The spinner is not a metaphor to explain the Trinity, like the egg or water, ice, and vapor. Instead, this tool helps center me in my relationship with the triune God and consider the Trinity in my service and leadership. (click here for a visual explanation)
Imagine that each ring of the spinner represents a person of the Trinity. One circle represents the Father’s adoption, another Son’s atonement on behalf of the believer, and another the Spirit’s animation of their life and ministry. Each is distinct and unique, but notice that the spinner spins lopsidedly if you spin it on just one of the rings. Focusing on one over the others causes the others to revolve around this one awkwardly. There may be seasons in life when a person’s understanding grows more of one person of the Trinity than the others, but flourishing is not found in a lopsided perspective. Christ-followers flourish anchored in the center, where all Three move together in periochoretic harmony (see the link below).
When you hold the spinner in the center, it flows smoothly. The thumb represents an abiding relationship with God, where a Christ-follower prioritizes and pursues intimacy with God and BEING in relationship WITH Him. The spinner can spin with the thumb only, but it is a little off-balance. The finger on the other side of the spinner represents accompanying God on His mission. Different ways to describe this might be influencing or the doing of ministry. Often the doing side gets overemphasized, even to the point of neglecting one’s relationship with the triune God. When both the thumb and the finger firmly grip the center, the flow of the spinner represents that doing flows from being, influence flows from intimacy, and accompanying God on mission overflows from abiding. Michael Reeves says, “mission comes from the overflow of love, from the uncontainable enjoyment of the fellowship.”
As Christ-followers mature in reflecting God's image, we increasingly share His love and invitation to others out of the relational overflow. A robust relationship with the Trinity helps us live our lives and shape our leadership. Consider getting your own fidget spinner to help you remember!
Here’s a fun link to the Trinity and perichoresis from John 15.
Here’s two books that have helped shape my perspective of the Trinity over the past few years.
