Threesome

A stained glass image of Saint Patrick at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Port Clinton, Ohio. 

(Credit: ‘Nheyob’, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated this Sunday, and being primarily of British and Irish descent, I have been curious about this cleric.  Wikipedia may not be the most reliable source, but it'll do for our purposes today - speaking of threesomes.  Yes, you read the word correctly, but you may have misinterpreted - let me explain.

Four-leafed clovers are often worn in some manner during St. Patrick's Day, but in stained glass renderings (like the one at the beginning of this post) of the patron saint and in accounts of his influence, a shamrock - having three leaves - is seen instead.  Why?  Because he apparently used the image to illustrate the Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  

The great mystery of the Triune Godhead can be difficult for our minds to process - one God in three manifestations.  As a youth, I heard several pastors illustrate the concept with an egg (shell, yolk, and egg white) among other word-pictures.  Honestly, we cannot fathom with any image the complexity and magnitude of the Trinity, even with the most clever of analogies.  I do, however, appreciate the shamrock, its equally-distributed leaves in verdant, life-affirming color.  It made these stickers all the more relevant to me - we are signed and sealed as believers, His imprint on our lives giving life in abundance and vibrancy...

We don't need to understand something to accept and affirm it.  Water can take several forms, yet its molecular composition is still H2O, its impact obvious in both tiny and terrific ways, and it never truly goes away - simply changes form and returns, nourishes, sustains life, and is quite often taken for granted although many are in desperate need of it.  Faith is a decision to trust and believe on a need-to-know basis.  God is the Omniscient (all-knowing), Omnipresent (in any place at any time in any way He elects), All-Powerful Master who is mysterious even as He is approachable through grace; He gives us knowledge and wisdom as we seek Him in faith.

I've had some fun with links for the sake of illustration, but it's a serious matter to deny self in our desire for constant confirmation, take up our cross to become the living sacrifices pleasing to God, and simply trust Him as we follow Christ - being Jesus' disciples as outlined by the Savior Himself (and with a bit of liberty on my part in this purpose-paraphrase) in Luke 9:23. 

Jotting with Johnna

How might faith play a role in your overall health?  What might trusting in Him Who Knows All help you have serenity and peace, deeper sleep, and a more appropriate relationship toward food?  Jesus is called Emmanuel, which means God With Us, and He sent the Holy Spirit as our Helper, all because of the love of the Father who was willing to do everything it took to make us His through adoption; how might the concept of the Trinity considering you significant and valuable change the way you go about your day?

Remember:  you are so very worthy to rest in the assurance that God is who His Word declares Him to be, even though that takes faith.  Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, according to Hebrews 11.  Trust Him with all you are (and wear plenty of green on Sunday).

Stay tuned.  Stay focused.  Stay well.