confused-fullHere’s the first spiritual concept our kids seem to be really confused about. I’m not sure it’s exactly something we’ve taught wrong, but maybe something we’ve not been clear enough about. It deals with the trinity. Don’t worry, I’m not about to get into various methodologies of teaching the trinity. There are plenty of theories and illustrations on how to best teach that and you’re on your own there. However, a huge number of kids seem to regularly interchange “God” with “God the father.” You may feel that I’m splitting hairs here, but I think it’s more significant that a simple mistake.

I was reading a blog last night where a young girl was explaining the relationship between God and Jesus. God and Jesus? Isn’t that like going to a Mexican restaurant and ordering cheese queso? Jesus is God and God is Jesus, but the young girl intended was God the Father and Jesus. I’ve encountered this more times that I can remember. If there’s a way to poll your kids without “leading” them, you’d probably be surprised how many kids believe the trinity is made up for God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Again, it seems like a really nit-picky detail, but the misunderstanding can have huge ramifications. Continuing to mistake God the Father with God further promotes that Jesus is not the same person as God as neither is the Holy Spirit. Confusing God with God the Father also mistakenly elevates God the Father to position of importance above Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Although God the Father has a role of authority among the other persons of God, he is equally important as Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Explaining the trinity isn’t easy and understanding it isn’t easy either. How you explain it is up to you. However, take note on how you describe and reference the persons of God being careful to name and reference all three equally as God. Each person of the trinity plays an important role in our lives, so it helps immensely to have a proper understanding of all three