While on my roadtrip to California with my oldest daughter we began reading a novel - The Shack. We'd heard amazing things about this book - how spiritual it was, how deep it took the reader, and how transforming its storyline. People's comments pushed us to buy the paperback to pass the hours over the boring miles of Nevada desert.
We'd gotten almost all the way through the book by the time we pulled in to our driveway back home. Only the last 100 pages left or so. Already the story had been gripping, tragic, reflective and bittersweet. We determined to read the end separately as time permitted - both getting back to our busy routines.
Well, I need to tell you that I'm not even finished and I've sobbed uncontrollably. I won't tell you the story but just this . . . each of us have places so wounded in our hearts that we think no one can go. Each of us have broken down shacks in our past where awful unthinkable things have happened and those regrets, those losses, those memories haunt us.
The Shack reminds us in so many ways that God is big enough to shine light even in those dark places - and bring beauty and order even among the chaos. If you're struggling right now to see God in the pain of your life - read it and soak it in. You'll be surprised, lifted, and changed for the good.
