The Shack is a Must Read Book

I don't think simple words can do this book justice, but I'll try my best to explain why it is so important, and what can be learned from it. As a usual non-fiction reader exclusively, it takes a lot in a fiction book to capture my attention. Usually only a few authors, such as Vince Flynn, Stephen King, or Tom Clancy have been able to do this. A lot of this, is because these authors put true elements into their stories, which makes them more relevant than a lot of other books. Religion has always been a hard topic for me, because I'm not sure what to believe, and I'm so sick of people using it as a tool to oppress or kill others. Each major, organized religion is guilty of this in one way or the other, and I am so tired of hearing people proclaim that one is more right than the other.

You could say I'm a spiritual person, because I've experienced some things that I just cannot explain. I have felt an invisible hand of comfort, while people were praying for our family, that won't be entered into any scientific literature. There have been nights where I've stared at the stars, and thought there's no way we are just some cosmic mistake. I agree with Charles Darwin's views of evolution, but I wonder how its possible to have so many amazing creatures and geographical features on this planet, without some being having created them on a canvas. Yet, even with all of these stunning images and life experiences, I still wonder why the concept of God is what it is, and what the true story is. How can I accept something written in the Old or New Testament, when it took so many different writers, and may have been changed and/or altered for political purposes?

This book did not answer all of life's difficult questions, but it made me think in a different way. One major issue has been in the judgement of others, where I have to admit guilt, because I've never thought of this as a way of assuaging my ego. Having grown up on the concept of "judging only character," I realize I am not smart enough to completely do this by myself. This book says that judgement is using your own feelings of superiority, towards someone that you are looking at. Wow, that is powerful. When we look at others, we think about ourselves first, and then try to have that person reach our level of standards. It really is egotistical, and while I won't be able to change this overnight, it is something I'm going to work on.

I've always thought the idea of forgiving someone was wimpy. Why should I forgive someone for making me angry, and ruining my life on so many levels? I should turn the other cheek when wronged, and just let it go? That seemed like such a stupid concept, however this books explanation on this is different than I thought. According to the author of this work, forgiving is about letting go of the other's throat, for what they have done to you. This helps your health, and you have every right to be angry. For some reason I've always liked the idea of "forgive but don't forget," and I was shocked when I read this in exact details in one of the chapters.

These two concepts made this book great, and for that I am thankful. However, what makes this so fantastic is the story, which most of us can relate to. The main character in the book Mack, grew up with an abusive father, and even with all of that misery he is still able to raise a wonderful family. He doesn't become like his father, and dearly loves his wife, sons, and daughters. However, an unspeakable tragedy occurs to this family during a campout, and there is a "Great Sadness." I think all of us can understand this concept, because we've all had experiences that have made us question everything about life, and have dragged us to the bottom of despair.

Through a trip to a shack, Mack discovers much about God, and life in general. If you've ever had trouble visualizing the "Trinity idea", this book will help you understand this concept. Without giving too much away, the three people who make up God in this book, are what I hope that a higher power is like. The person who plays "God" in this book is a lot like Mother Abigail in Stephen King's "Stand", which is another spiritual book that had relevant lessons in life to those with strong faith and those without. I just loved the characters used to form the Trinity form of God in this book, and have never felt as comfortable with this idea as I have here.

What I really liked about this book, is that it is kind towards all religions. God even states in the book that "I don't care about Muslim, Jew, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, etc." How true that is. We all have different ways of expressing our love and belief of a higher power. I've always found religion and books based upon it, to usually be divisive, and I will never turn away from loving my friends of different faiths. This book basically states that all human beings are put on this planet as part of God's creation, and that God is Love. There is no hatred in here, and its just another reason of why I loved this book so much.

Its hard to believe that I read this 248 page manuscript in one day, but it was just that good. This is among the best page turners I've ever spent time with, and I felt at home with every word I read. Its hard to describe a book that feels like a glove, but that is what I got from this experience. The last few years have been difficult, and for the first time in awhile I feel at peace, and that I understand a bit more than I did yesterday. Do I have a lot of questions that haven't been answered? Yes. However, I can understand the concept of a loving God more, and why interfering with the lives of humans could be oppressive rather than loving. If you know someone who is struggling with life, give them this book to read. It is very uplifting, and it will put a smile on your face, and give you a lot to think about.