Dear Kara,
Over the past
year, I know that we have both gone through a lot in our lives – sad, as well
as happy, times. In August and September I started reading The Shack. My
grandma lent it to me because she could tell that I needed a little bit of
guidance. I hope that it can do the same for you. It’s a really good book with
an equally good and unique message.
The story starts
off talking about the “Great Sadness.” Now, I’m not going to tell you what exactly
that means, but just make sure you have some tissues ready for a tear-jerking chapter
four. Mack, the main character, is at a loss when it comes to believing in God.
He has always known that a god existed, but he wasn’t sure what that precisely
meant. His wife, Nan, is a true faithful. She is certain that God is with us
through our joyous and sorrowful
moments. Mack, on the other hand, isn’t quite so convinced. If God is always
with us, then where was He during the “Great Sadness;” where was he when his
father was beating him? This question, which frequently appears in Mack’s (also
known as the narrator) thoughts, is very stimulating. As the story progresses,
Mack finds himself looking for God in the last place he ever wanted to be: The
Shack – the place where the “Great Sadness” occurred. While he is there, he
finds himself face-to-face with the Trinity. God presents himself as a large,
rotund black woman full of laughter and love – the ultimate “mother” image,
Jesus as a laid-back and loving carpenter, and the Holy Spirit as a petite,
almost transparent Asian woman exploding with energy. Again, I don’t want to
give too much away, but these images – other than Jesus’s – are not common. God
as a woman, and an African American, no less?
The Holy Spirit as an Oriental, having a body – not just a tongue of
fire or a drop of water? As different as these images may be, I find them
comforting. Thinking that God is as punishing and wrathful as the Bible
portrays is rather intimidating. The Shack depicts Him as a
compassionate and forgiving being. That is
the kind of God I want to believe in. This book offers perfect images for the
Trinity – ones of kindness and understanding, ones that are reassuring.
This book offers
suggestions for the tough questions about faith, like where was God when I needed him?
Well, He was there the whole time. We might not have been able to see
Him, but every tear we cried, He cried with us. I don’t know if you’ve ever
heard this before, but once a man described life as a walk on the beach. He
said that during his happy moments there were always two sets of footprints –
his and God’s – but when he was going through difficult times, he only found
one set of footprints. When the man was faced with God in Heaven, he asked
where He had been during his tragedies – why he was always alone? God answered
his inquiry by saying, “Those were my footprints, not yours; I carried you
through your hard times because you weren’t strong enough to walk.” I think
this book really portrays that image of a protecting and loving God. He is
always there, especially when we don’t see him.
As you know, I
had a really rough summer with my dad. I felt so alone and scared. I was
constantly praying that things might get better, but I felt like they never
would. I honestly felt abandoned – that God had forgotten about me. When my
Grandma gave me this book, it completely changed my perspective. I started
looking at things differently and realized that God really is everywhere. He’s
like oxygen – you can’t see Him, but you know He’s there because without Him
you’d be dead.
So, don’t give
up, Kara. Things will get better. Just know that you’re not alone. God will
always be there for you, you just have to trust that in the end things will
work themselves out the way He intended them.
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