Another Fantastic Book...

So I finally got around to reading The Shack by Wm. Paul Young.  What an incredible book!  I've had it hidden in my night stand forever and was in need of a book to read on our most recent trip so I grabbed it before we left.  Wow!  I seem to pick books that hit me where I'm at, at the right moment.  This book was exactly what I needed to read.  I think there are more pages with writings in the margins and underlined sentences than any of my college text books!

I wasn't really sure what I was getting into when I read this book.  I must admit that the first few chapters were difficult (especially being a parent) to get through, but I think for that exact reason, I could really relate to the story.

At the end of the book, it was suggested that readers share their thoughts on the book - tell others about it, recommend it, blog about it, etc.  Since I could really relate to almost every aspect of this book and enjoyed how it shared about a relationship with God that is different from most mainstream religious groups, I feel led to share my thoughts as well.

This story is basically about a man who's lost a child and is having a terribly difficult time dealing with the aftermath of it.  He returns to the shack where her murder took place by an invitation from God (aka Papa).  Most of the book deals with his discussions with God, Jesus and Sarayu (Holy Spirit).  The relationship that God seeks with us is one of action.  He desires us and longs for us to give up the rules and laws of this world and allow him to live in us.  He loves us as His children and forgives us like we do our own kids.  He can't choose one of us over another, just like I couldn't choose to save Riley over Kendall or vice versa.

Here are some of things that left an impression on me.  These are quotes from God (in any form of the Trinity) speaking to Mack from The Shack.

"...when all you can see is your pain, perhaps then you lose sight of me?"

"Relationships are never about power, and one way to avoid the will to hold power over another is to choose to limit oneself - to serve."

"Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved."

"Submission is not about authority and it is not about obedience; it is all about relationships of love and respect."

"Lies are one of the easiest places for survivors to run.  They give you a sense of safety, a place where you have to depend only on yourself.  But it's a dark place, isn't it?"

"Lies are a little fortress; inside them you can feel safe and powerful.  Through your little fortress of lies you try to run your life and manipulate others.  But the fortress needs walls, so you build some.  These are the justifications for your lies.  You know, like you are doing this to protect someone you love, to keep them from feeling pain.  Whatever works, just so you feel okay about the lies."

"Most emotions are responses to perception - what you think is true about a given situation.  If your perception is false, then your emotional response to it will be false too.  So check your perceptions, and beyond that check the truthfulness of your paradigms - what you believe.  Just because you believe something firmly doesn't make it true."

"Forgiveness is not about forgetting, Mack.  It is about letting go of another person's throat."

"Unless people speak the truth about what they have done and change their minds and behavior, a relationship of trust is not possible.  When you forgive someone you certainly release him from judgement, but without true change, no real relationship can be established."

"Forgiveness in no way requires that you trust the one you forgive."

"...forgiveness does not excuse anything."

"So is it alright if I'm still angry?...It was wrong, and anger is the right response to something that is so wrong.  But don't let the anger and pain and loss you feel prevent you from forgiving him and removing your hands from around his neck."

"Son, you may have to declare your forgiveness a hundred times the first day and the second day, but the third day will be less and each day after until one day you will realize that you have forgiven completely."

Wow, huh?  These are just a few of the things that stuck with me.  The book makes you look at your own life and re-evaluate things.  What type of things are you struggling with?  How are you dealing with them?  Have you given them up completely to God so you can be released from their power over you?  

I have read some powerful books and this ranks among the top favorites.  I still have to say that Heaven Is For Real is my favorite read on this subject...Mitch Albom's books,  Have A Little Faith and The Five People You Meet In Heaven were also top favorites.  I also enjoyed 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper as well as Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture.  All are books that made me think about my life and the direction I was headed at the time that I read them.  If you haven't read any of the ones I listed above, I recommend all of them! 

Happy reading!