The Shack-William P. Young

I bought this one back in the summer, and it was one of those books that I kept putting off in favor of something or another. I finally picked it back up a couple of weeks ago, and I am so glad I did. This book is a wonderful portrait of how a relationship with God would be without the interruptions of the world.

The premise of the book is this, Mack who has lost his youngest daughter Missy in a horrific event, think every parent's worst nightmare, and is now dealing with all the repercussions an event like this will bring. One snowy afternoon receives a noet in his mailbox presumably from God. Telling him that he will be at the shack (the place of Missy's death) this weekend if he would like to join him. Mack decides to take the chance to return to the Shack and what results is story of relationships, forgiveness, and resolution. It is to me a very allegorical tale, but the relationship that it portrays between Mack and God, Mack and Jesus, and Mack and the Holy Spirit will really cause you to take pause and look at your own relationship with them. It is a different perspective on what that relationship would be like.

Now, while there were things that theologically I did not agree with, the message is still a beautiful one. This book is a work of fiction it is not meant to be read as doctrine, it is just one man's perspective on what a relationship with God could look like. There were many parts of this book that I had to go back and reread, many parts that caused me tears, and many parts that made me say I never looked at or considered it in that way. I think this a book that everyone should read. I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the book.

"Living unloved is like clipping a bird's wings and removing its ability to fly. Not something I want for you. Mack, pain has a way of clipping our wings and keeping us from being able to fly. And if left unresolved for very long, you can almost forget that you were ever created to fly in the first place." -PAPA