As I was in our Spanish Church today, Conquerors of Heaven, I was meditating on Father God, telling Him I wanted to hang out with Him, I was brought back to a book I read called, “The Shack.”

Now “The Shack” is a controversial book (2006), but to me it brought me closer to Father God.  It also opened up my mind to the relationship the Trinity probably shares. It’s very unorthodox and many religious people are conflicted with it.  ”The Shack” asks us to see Father God as a large African-American woman, yes woman, who calls herself Elouisa and Papa, Jesus Christ is a Middle-Eastern carpenter, and the Holy Spirit physically manifests itself as an Asian woman named Sarayu.  I am not going to go into the reasoning of why the Trinity is described this way, only to say I understand why the author did it.  I don’t only understand, but because Father God was depicted as this person, I am now closer to Him.

Why was I brought back to this book this morning?  In “The Shack” the relationship MacKenzie has with the Trinity is so inviting.  When I read it I asked God, “Could I have a relationship like that with You?”  He answered, “Do you know what you’re asking?” There is always a price to pay; a sacrifice to make… ask James and John (Mark 10:35-40). Now when I enter into His presence I am often taken back to “The Shack”.  Why?

In the basis of “The Shack” there is a death and a deep sorrow and unresolved pain in Mackenzie’s life.  There is a blood stained spot in this place where his daughter was murdered.  Mack is asked to revisit this place of pain and to be confronted with his anger towards God; in the end to bring healing and closure so he can move forward in life with a new love for God, the Father.

When I go into the presence of my Father, I have to face a death in order to pass into the deeper relationship.  Yes, it’s obvious, I have to face the death of my precious Savior, but in order to have the deeper relationship with the Trinity, I have to see the blood stained spot as my death.  I have to die every time I enter His presence (Galatians 2:20) in order to go higher and breather deeper. In my death, I give into His precious touch operating on me to replace hidden agendas, to heal broken pieces of my live, and to trust what touches my life is from Him with good reasons. Even if I don’t fully understand all God does, as I die daily (sometimes hourly) I am able to enter into a place labeled ‘for dead people only’.  Dead to me, means alive to Him…  alive to Christ’s agenda for me; to His fresh presence full of life, laughter and purpose; and alive to His warmth as He reaches out to give me an assurance that no person on earth can… He’ll never fail me and He is in love with me.

So today in my time with Him, as I walked into the shack I noticed once again my blood stained spot of death with a smile on my face and a welcoming Hand reaching out to me…

If you are interested in some of the controversies of “The Shack”: http://windblownmedia.com/about-wbm/is-the-shack-heresy.html