The Shack

The Shack
by William P. Young (Author)

Reading "The Shack" was like a breath of fresh air. "Mack's" conversations with God were a confirmation to me of what I've experienced of God's kind of love as I've chosen to participate with Him in the process of exposing my own selfishness, lack of love and very bad and wrong beliefs and attitudes. I could do this because God did His part in wooing me with His lack of condemnation, His willingness to accept me as I am, and showing me how He loves. I've worked for many years with the deeply wounded.

Time after time, I have witnessed God revealing Himself and His kind of love to them in their healing process very much the same way Mack was healed as described in "The Shack". I'm sure those who want to keep God in their box of human limitations and understanding will have a very difficult time believing that this is truly the God who makes Himself known to us through His Word, as well as by His Spirit through our human spirit, or that He would actually have conversations with us like He had with Mack. What an awesome God He/She is.

Why is it that we humans think we have all the answers about who, what, and where God is? Perhaps that is one of the most blasphemous mistakes we can make--labeling and defining the God above all gods. With that said, why would anyone be upset when new descriptions and definitions and understandings are given to God? One of the things we do know is that we don't know all about God.

This book, The Shack, disrupts all we have learned about God and suggests new ideas about God--what a healthy thing to do. Anything that might expand our concept of God is healthy and healing. I believe that is why so many people have found this book so refreshing to their faith. If people find new meaning in Jesus and God and the Holy Spirit because of this book, don't condemn it--praise it. Do we have all the answers? I think not. Let's reach outside the box. That is what the author Young has done, and I think he has done a good job of it. There is a section in the book on judging. Maybe we should all go read that part again. As Tita used to say, "Everyone to their own religion, and God will take care of us all in the end."