The Shack

Good morning,

I watched The Shack movie last night and it was so good to go back in my mind to when I first read the book. My favorite part of the movie is when Mac goes into the cave to meet Lady Wisdom. He realizes he has been judging people and playing God. He has decided, in his book, who is good and who is evil.

It isn’t until he is forced to look at his own children’s shortcomings and then pick one of them to go to heaven and one to go to hell. He realizes that when his overwhelming love as a parent overlooks, pardons, makes exceptions, understands why they are rebelling, etc., that he cannot choose and wants to sacrifice himself instead of sending one of the children to eternal damnation.

He finally understands how Jesus traded places with us! He finally understands that we are not capable of being God. He finally understands that the Holy Spirit is sent to us to help us live our life. He finally understands that all people are God’s children and He loves them ALL no matter what they have done in their life.

The movie/book does such a good job in my mind of explaining that life is meant to be shared, love is central, forgiveness is equally as important as love, and joy comes when we make friends with God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit because friends get us through pain, messes, events, good times, holidays… you name it! The way friends help is pivotal to our life and just like Mac, realizing through his parental love, how much God loves every person ever created.

Every person ever created can be friends with our Triune God daily with everything. He knows more, He has Almighty power, and He is always available.

Mac thought God was old with gray hair and a beard, angry, heartless, and not very good at seeing who was bad and who was good. He discounted that people have free will and that evil was given the keys to our world by Adam in the garden. He wanted God to make everything perfect and painless if He was good. I guess he wanted heaven on earth…

I think a lot of people feel like Mac. Who can blame them when such cruel, senseless terror is out there. Loved ones get sick and die… But, if we can have hope, we can have faith that God is for us. WE WERE NEVER MEANT TO LIVE WITHOUT A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD and our spirit will never die!

The change in Mac after he realized He didn’t know everything, hard things happen to everyone, un-forgiveness is a bad poison, and we have choices in some things and some things happen to us, we can walk on water when we know what Jesus has given us through the teachings in the Bible.  Happiness, joy, love–all the fruits of the Spirit are ours to enjoy but none of it can be achieved without first being friends with Papa, Jesus, and Holy Spirit.

Jesus says, “Invite me in to be your Savior. Believe in, adhere to, trust in, and rely on Me and I will never forsake you and never leave you now and for all eternity.”

God says, “I so loved the world that I gave my only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not parish but have eternal life.”

Holy Spirit says, “I am your Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sent in Jesus’ name, I will teach you all things and bring to remembrance. Peace, I bring to you.”

Love you, Teri