The Shack

I just finished reading the fictional book "The Shack" by Wm. Paul Young, and while I am really unsure what I thought of it, it did have quite a few paragraphs that stood out and I wanted to pass along because they are definately worth pondering.

 If you are completely unfamiliar with it, it's about a man whose young daughter was murdered, then years later was invited back to the place of the murder, to the shack. He was not invited by the killer, but by God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, all in the flesh - sort of.

this was the character having a conversation with the Holy Spirit on who should determine good and evil in the world...

Mack hesitated before finishing his thought, but the Holy Spirit interrupted. "Then it is you who determines good and evil. You become the judge. And to make things more confusing, that which you determine to be good will change over time and circumstance. And then beyond that and even worse, there are billions of you each determining what is good and what is evil. So when your good and evil clashes with your neighbor's, fights and arguements ensue and even wars break out."

a conversation with Jesus regarding the beauty and condition of the earth...

"Our earth is like a child who has grown up without parents, having no one to guide and direct her." As Jesus spoke, his voice intensified in subdued anguish. "Some have attempted to help her, but most have simply tried to use her. Humans, who have been given the task to lovingly steer the world, instead plunder her with no consideration, other than their immediate needs. And they give little thought  for their own children who will inherit their lack of love. So they use her and abuse her with little consideration, and then when she shudders, or blows her breath, they are offended and raise their fist at God."

regarding the state of society...

"God doesn't stop a lot of things that cause Him pain. Your world is severely broken. You demanded your independance, and now you are angry with the One who loved you enough to give it to you. Nothing is as it should be, as God desires it to be, and as it will be one day. Right now your world is lost in darkness and chaos, and horrible things happen to those that He is especially fond of."