In Mourning: Awakening The Shack

Before you continue, first let me warn you.  What follows will surely give away many details about the book.  Read at your own risk, but please read on.

Like most of the books I read, The Shack by William P. Young has been on the shelves, including my shelf, for a long time.  Media, church-goes, family, and friends told me this book was worth the read and raised a lot of thought-provoking questions.  So when my Bible study was looking for our next study, I suggested The Shack.  Most had already read the book, but all were eager to re-read and generate some good discussion.  And we did.  But we also didn’t have a problem with the representation of God as a female in the book, which apparently created the most controversy.  And so the conversation dwindled and the book was put aside.

But then an old friend of mine was murdered.  Literally murdered. And the naïve world I choose to live in was shattered just a little bit more. The Great Sadness of The Shack where young Missy is kidnapped and killed directly resonates with Tim’s disappearance and the finding of his burned remains.  So I picked up this book again.

And I’m glad I did – partly as a grieving strategy and partly because the book shares some decent wisdom for those of us living everyday, regular lives.   What struck me more, in this second reading, is how Young deals with evil.  And it’s simple: evil is evil.  It saddens you.  It saddens me.  It saddens God.   God does not cause it; God does not allow it.  It happens.

I don’t know why I find that thought comforting.  Perhaps it’s the realization that I don’t need to question God.  I don’t need to lay blame.  Evil happens.  And the only way to get through evil is by the love of God.  Which brings me to the second theme Young explains exceptionally well: what it means to have meaningful relationships --  with God, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit, with your friends and enemies.

The perfect relationship is best exemplified through the Trinity.  There is no hierarchy, but only perfect trust and understanding.   Only through God is every word, every act done with unconditional love.  In fact, that idea that we are limited in our understanding of the world we live in can be attributed to God's  love for humanity.  And it is an amazing love!

I would be remiss if I ignored the cheesy aspect of this book.  It is fiction, of course.  But the way this book inspired me to live a better, a more loving life, to appreciate the goodness that exists and accept the evil for what it is, far outshines all cheese.  My heart rests easy. 

     When peace, like a river attendeth my way,

            When sorrows like sea billows roll;

            Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,

            It is well, it is well with my soul.