If you’ve read The Shack, then you probably have already had much of your thoughts about “Who God is” challenged. The Shack takes you on a journey that requires some imagination, but allows you to open your mind to God in a whole new way.
The author, Wm. Paul Young, helps the reader, as well as the main character Mack to abandon some ”religious conditioning” that we have typically been taught in church that causes many of us to “stereotype” who God is (p. 93).
Mack had “beleived, in his head at least, that God was spirit, neither male nor female, but in spite of that, he was embarrassed to admit to himself that all his visuals for God were very . . . .” (p. 93). We can probably all fill in the blank here, as to who–or what–our stereotype of Who God is based on our past religious teachings.
But the bottom line, the truth of all-of God, is that He is the supreme creator and ruler of the universe. He is the Redeemer of our souls, and the only perfect and holy being. Through God the Son, – Jesus, born of the virgin Mary - we have eternal Salvation because of His death on the cross. He was buried, rose 3 days later, and now sits at the right hand of God in Heaven. Now, through God the Holy Spirit living in us, we are called to righteousness before God the Father who is Heaven.
However, sometimes we let our “religion” get in the way of our relationship with God. With churches on almost every corner of the nation, we sometimes fail to remember that our belief is not about who the pastor is, what activities the church supports, or how nice the building is. Our future rests solely in our relationship with God.
How is your relationship with God? Is it growing or fading? How do you feel when a child, or friend stops calling on you, and starts spending more time playing video games and less time with you?
Remember, we are God’s children, and He wants us to spend time with Him. Take time everday to be with Him. Show Him that you WANT to be His child.
{quoted passages taken from The Shack.}
