I have been going to church my whole life and was raised by Christian, God loving parents. And during that time I have been told that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins. I had heard it so much I became somewhat indifferent to it. And then there was a movie made a while back that was controversial, much like The Shack has been. It was a true, biblical story told through the eyes and mind of a human being that was able to show, for me, just how human Jesus Christ really was! When I watched The Passion of the Christ, directed by Mel Gibson, none of the controversy mattered anymore. I was utterly and completely humbled by the portrayal of what Jesus went through for me and for you! And it wasn't even because they showed his flesh being ripped off as they whipped him, or that it is was done in subtitles. It was watching the pain and agony his mother, Mary, went through seeing her son endure all of this torture, but at the same time accepting that this was God's will for her son. It was hearing Jesus say, "Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing," as the soldiers spat at Jesus and ridiculed him as he hung from the cross. And it was the way the earth quaked and the veil was torn in the temple as Jesus Christ breathed his last breath on the cross. God used this film to get through to my, and many other's, heart!
As was the fact with the book. Oh to spend a weekend in a shack with the Holy Trinity! Again, God used this book to penetrate my heart. Now, I would NEVER recommend reading this book over spending quiet time with God and in the Word. But sometimes you just need a change of perspective to tear down a wall or two and just allow God to help you to get it! Just like the movie made the humanity of Jesus more graspable to me, the book showed God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in a way that I could wrap my piddly little brain around.
I loved the conversation the main character of the book, Mack, was having with the Holy Spirit, Sarayu. They were discussion good and evil and why they exist. A common question believers and non-believers ask a lot is "If God is good, then why is there so much evil in the world?" That is such a hard question, but I like the way it is summed up here.
Sarayu turned toward Mack; at least that was his impression. "Mackenzie, evil is a word we use to describe the absence of Good, just as we use the word darkness to describe the absence of Light or death to describe the absence of Life. Both evil and darkness can only be understood in relation to Light and Good; they do not have any actual existence. I am Light and I am Good. I am Love and there is no darkness in me. Light and Good actually exist. So, removing yourself from me will plunge you into darkness. Declaring independence will result in evil because apart from me, you can only draw upon yourself. That is death because you have separated yourself from me: Life."
"Wow," Mack exclaimed, sitting back for a moment. "That really helps. But, I can also see that giving up my independent right is not going to be an easy process. It could mean that..."
Sarayu interrupted his sentence again. "...that in one instance, the good may be the presence of cancer or the loss of income--even life."
"Yeah, but tell that to the person with cancer or the father whose daughter is dead," Mack postured, a little more sarcastically than he had intended.
"Oh, Mackenzie," reassured Sarayu. "Don't you think we have them in mind as well? Each of them was the center of another story that is untold."
"But," Mack could feel his control getting away as he drove his shovel in hard, "didn't Missy have a right to be protected?"
"No, Mack. A child is protected because she is loved, not because she has a right to be protected." pg. 136-137
I also love what Jesus tells Mack about why we have so much fear in our lives.
"Because you don't believe. You don't know that we love you. The person who lives by their fears will not find freedom in my love. I am not talking about rational fears regarding legitimate dangers, but imagined fears, and especially the projection of those into the future. To the degree that those fears have a place in you life, you neither believe I am good nor know deep in your heart that I love you. You sing about it; you talk about it, but you don't know it." pg. 142
Lastly I love what God (Papa) tells Mack about tragedy and His hand in it all.
"Mack, just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn't mean I orchestrated the tragedies. Don't ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I need it to accomplish my purposes. That will only lead you to false notions about me. Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors." pg. 185
One of the reasons I was so touched by this book was the way that the author was able to express the tenderness of God and also the intimacy of the relationship between God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. In a few parts it was almost uncomfortable. But I know that God desires a relationship with us that is so very intimate. And I also know that it can be extremely uncomfortable to let God in that deeply. We have a lot of walls and baggage that we have to allow God to break down and sift through before we can let Him in, and that means facing all that junk head on! Definitely not an easy thing. But the tenderness, oh the tenderness, is something I think we all crave and need in our lives! Because no matter how much a human loves us, it will never be to the same degree as God.
My prayer for this post is just that you will read it and be touched by God in some way. He loves us so much and just desires a close relationship with us! And the only way He can get into our hearts is if we allow Him to. Just read the book, even if you are just curious or skeptical. You won't be let down. I'll leave you with words from the apostle Paul in the Bible...
"And I pray that you, being rooted in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19
1 comment:
I will have to read this book :) Thanks!
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