The Shack

I am just about finished reading a wonderful book titled The Shack (Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity) by William P. Young. It is a story of a father and husband who is dealing with the tragic loss of a young daughter. Mack is experiencing what he calls The Great Sadness. A depression and sadness so deep that it is crippling life for Mack. During a severe ice storm, a note in Mack's mailbox invites him to meet "Papa" at the shack, a place in the woods where the reality of his young daughter's violent demise was discovered. I won't ruin the story by telling it all here, (you really need to read this book), but I can tell you that chapter 15 will have a profound effect on you as you see one possibility of eternity through this author's word pictures.

The one thing that has been so good for me in reading The Shack is helping me visualize God. I was raised in a fairly legalistic environment and from early on my view of God was someone who punished sin and responded to every mis-deed that I made. While I know that God loves me unconditionally, I still have difficulty putting that into a mental picture that I can equate with a loving God. I have struggled with consistent prayer throughout my entire adult life because I so often revert back to the image of a task master/punisher God, rather than a God who is my "papa", one who loves me and really wants me to spend time with Him, or in the case of The Shack, her. I'll let you read about that. :) Tonight I'll finish the book, and I think I'll make a note to re-read it again during the Christmas holidays. It's that kind of book!