The Shack

Mack lost his daughter Missy during a camping trip, and found her bloody dress in a rundown shack miles away from their camp site after several days of searching. Authorities never found her body nor her killer. A few years later, he receives a note apparently from God, inviting him to go back to the shack and spend the weekend with Him. Mack thought it was either a bad joke being played on him, or it really was God inviting him. Out of curiousity, he went on the trip expecting the worst.

If I could spend a weekend with God, how will I spend it? I mean.. should I ask Him the questions that humanity has been asking since the dawn of time: why does he allow bad things happen to good people, am I really going to be punished for all the times I lied, what happens to those people who don't believe in Him, which religion should I believe in? What should I expect him to look like? Will he be like Zeus in Disney's Hercules? Or will he look like Gandalf in Lord of the Rings? Is he really old-looking? What does heaven look like? Is it really guarded by a golden gate? Is it really up in the clouds?

Growing up, I've been raised a Catholic and I've been "programmed" to follow Catholic principles. Follow the commandments. Never miss mass on Sundays. Don't fall asleep during the homily. Love God with all your heart. Be nice to your sister. Be charitable to the less fortunate. Pray. Be afraid of the Lord because He punishes those who don't follow Him. Be good. Abhor evil. Not only that, my childhood and growing years were flooded with religious stereotypes. Cartoons and movies depicted God as an old guy with white robes and long gray hair and a loud booming voice, and heaven is a golden city up on the clouds.

After reading The Shack, it's like I've been reformatted and booted up with a new system, a new outlook and thinking. All the things I thought were true and righteous were debunked, and were replaced by new beliefs and values. Like Mack, my view of God changed into a deeper, more personal level. He doesn't look like Zeus after all :P And heaven isn't made of gold. It's amazing how many realizations were made and how many ideologies and theories were challenged and proven self-righteous in a few hundred pages. Being religious doesn't necessarily mean being faithful. Being good in our eyes does not necessarily mean being good in God's eyes. If there is one fictional book that you'll have to read for the month, grab The Shack (Yes, this is higher than Twilight in my list of favorites.). If it doesn't change how you look at humanity and how you view God and your relationship with Him, let me know. I'll have to treat you to a retreat and a session with a counselor or something. Haha!