"The Shack"

by WM Paul Young

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as I thought I would. I think I heard too much hype about it beforehand so had very high expectations. It was an interesting read, but I found it a little difficult to follow as it was mostly dialogue throughout. Maybe because I already have my own understanding of God, I couldn't get absorbed into the author's impressions. For someone who is seeking God or just trying to grasp the concept of God, this might be the book for them (I'm not saying I have a full grasp on who God is - no one ever can - but I think I have enough that this book didn't feel fully relevant to me).

When the author introduced the image of God the Father - "Papa" - I couldn't help but be reminded of the Oracle from The Matrix so I had a little chuckle at that! That continued the whole way through the book, so maybe that had a role in slanting my view of the book!

I took note of a couple of quotes I quite enjoyed as I liked the way the author worded some things and I thought I'd share them with you (Mack is the main character - talking with God in the shack):

""Jesus?" he [Mack] whispered as his voice choked. "I feel so lost." A hand reached out and squeezed his, and didn't let go. "I know, Mack. But it's not true. I am with you and I'm not lost. I'm sorry it feels that way, but hear me clearly. You are not lost."" Wow! How true - if you are with someone who isn't lost, it means you can't be lost either, even if you feel like you are, and with Jesus always with us, it means we can never be lost!

""You [Mack] will be the Judge!" The knot in his stomach returned... "What? Me? I'd rather not," he paused. "I don't have any ability to judge." "Oh, that is not true," returned the quick reply, tinged now witha hint of sarcasm. "You have already proven yourself very capable... you have judged many throughout your life. You have judged the actions and even the motivations of others... you have judged the color of skin and body language and body odor... history and relationships... the value of a person's life by the quality of your concept of beauty."" This made me think about how often I judge people, as human on earth, without a thought. However, if I was given the role of judge on Judgement Day, I wouldn't want that power. It's all well and good to judge without consequences, but to be given the power of real judgement, I don't want it, thanks! So if I don't want that responsibility, what gives me the right to judge now? If the judgements I made now, actually meant an eternity for someone else, I'd be freaking out, wondering "what have I done!" I hope that I'll remember this passage often and judge less. And thinking about it now, I would hate for anyone to be my judge! As scary as it is, I'm glad God is my judge and that I have confidence in Jesus' salvation... otherwise, who knows where I would end up!

""Have you [Sarayu - the Holy Spirit] been with me the entire time?" inquired Mack... "of course. I am always with you." "Then how come I didn't know it?" asked Mack... "For you to know or not," she explained, "has nothing at all to do with whether I am actually here or not. I am always with you; sometimes I want you to be aware in a special way - more intentional."... "Will I always be able to see you or hear you like I do now, even if I'm back home?" Sarayu smiled. "Mackenzie, you can always talk to me and I will always be with you, whether you sense my presence or not." Sometimes I feel more of the Holy Spirit's presence than other times. Just because I don't feel His presence, doesn't mean He isn't there. I know this, but I liked how the author worded it! There was a whole heap of dialogue, but I thought I should just put a small snipit it, that I thought best summarised it.

So, that was my take on the book!