Is Your God Too Small? Embracing the Mystery of the Trinity
I have a vivid memory from a few years ago that remains etched in my heart. We were on one of our frequent family getaways to the Oregon Coast, the air thick with that familiar, salty mist. I watched from the beach as my children raced across the cool, damp sand toward the Pacific, clutching their bright plastic buckets. Their mission was as simple as it was ambitious: put the ocean in their bucket!
With all the fierce determination only a child can muster, they plunged their buckets into the churning, gray-blue surf, scooping up as much of the chilly water as they could carry. They heaved them back toward our spot, laughing as the saltwater sloshed over their toes, and proudly presented their “catch.” Looking inside, they definitely had the ocean—I could smell the salt and see the tiny bits of agate and sand swirling at the bottom. But had they captured the Pacific? Of course not. The real ocean remained vast and untamable, stretching out toward a horizon hidden in the fog. Their little buckets only held a manageable, predictable piece of a much greater mystery.
For years, I think I approached God in the same way. I brought my small bucket of logic, reason, and expectations to Him. I wanted to scoop Him up, study Him, and have Him all figured out. I thought that if I just read enough, prayed enough, or was good enough, I could finally understand Him completely. But life has a way of showing you the limits of your bucket. A difficult diagnosis, an unexpected job loss, or a relationship that falls apart can make you realize that the God you think you understand isn’t big enough to handle the reality of your life.
The Pressure to Have All the Answers
Many of us grow up believing that a strong faith means having an answer for everything. We feel a pressure—from ourselves and sometimes from others—to defend God, explain His ways, and have a neat, tidy response for every difficult question. When someone asks why there is suffering in the world, we feel we need a perfect three-point answer. When we face a personal trial, we scramble to find the “reason” God allowed it to happen.
This pursuit of complete understanding can be exhausting. It can lead to a faith that feels more like a final exam than a relationship. We become so focused on defending a God we think we have figured out that we miss the opportunity to rest in the arms of a God who holds us.
The truth is, if you think you have God completely figured out, you are likely serving a god of your own creation. A God small enough to be fully understood by the human mind isn’t the God who spoke galaxies into existence. He isn’t the God who parted the Red Sea or rose from the grave. A manageable God is not a God who can bring Peace to your chaos or hope to your despair.
An Invitation into the Mystery: The Trinity
This is where one of the most profound and beautiful truths of Christianity comes in: the Trinity. The concept that God is one God, eternally existing in three distinct persons—the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit—is not a theological puzzle meant to confuse us. It is an invitation into the very nature of who God is.
It’s a mystery we can’t fully comprehend, and that’s the point. The Trinity shatters our small buckets. It reminds us that God is infinitely more complex, relational, and wonderful than we could ever imagine.
- God the Father: He is the loving creator, the protector, the one whose plans are perfect and whose love is unconditional. He is the solid foundation upon which we can build our lives, even when everything around us feels like shifting sand.
- God the Son, Jesus: He is God in the flesh, who walked among us, experienced our pain, and gave His life for us. He is our redeemer, our friend, and our bridge back to the Father. He shows us God’s heart in a way we can see and touch.
- God the Holy Spirit: He is God with us and in us, our advocate, our comforter, and our guide. He empowers us to live out our faith, convicts us of sin, and leads us into truth. He is the constant presence of God in our daily lives.
This isn’t just abstract theology. Understanding this relationship changes everything. It means we are loved by a creative Father, saved by a sacrificial Son, and empowered by a present Spirit. It’s a divine community of love that invites us in.
Trading Frustration for Faith
Embracing this mystery allows us to move from a place of frustration to a place of profound faith. It permits us to let go of the need for all the answers.
When you accept that God is bigger than your understanding, you can:
- Find Peace in the Unknown: You no longer have to carry the burden of explaining God’s every move. You can trust His character even when you can’t trace His hand. You can find rest in knowing that He is in control, even when your life feels out of control.
- Deepen Your Trust: True intimacy in any relationship isn’t built on knowing everything about the other person. It’s built on trust. Letting go of our need to figure God out opens the door to trusting Him more deeply. We move from knowing about God to truly knowing God.
- Experience Awe and Wonder: When we stop trying to put God in a box, we can stand in awe of who He truly is. Like standing at the edge of the ocean, we can be humbled and amazed by His greatness, His power, and His beauty. This sense of wonder is the heart of worship.