The Shack Movie: God and your Tragedy

18 March, 2017 by Leave a Comment

When this book was first published, I heard it was great, but wasn’t in a good place to read it because I had a five-year-old little girl at the time. As soon as I realized what could happen, I put down the book and finally picked it back up when she was ten.

Paul Young has written and incredible story and though it was initially self-published it for his family. Mainstream media caught wind of it and, well, you know the rest.

There has been much controversy over the movie on theology, though not clearly evident. It wasn’t until I looked back and thought about some of the scenes that I questioned whether or not Mr. Young was keeping biblical truths in tact.

One big question asked was “why wouldn’t God save Mack’s little girl?” or in general, (why do bad things happen to good people?”) Here’s my opinion on that one if you’d like to check it out: “Why Bad Things Happen to Good People”

The following is an article written by a co-writer who has published quite a few books and is a good Christian man. I’ve heard him speak and taken several classes from him. He offered this article to be shared with the release of this movie to answer some of those shaky theological questions.

Hope the article sheds some light on the good and the bad in this fictional story. Any conversation starter about God is a good thing in my book.

The Shack movie: God and your tragedy

By Rusty Wright

 

When your personal tragedy strikes – and it will – is God good?

Millions wrestle with that question. The Shack, a bestselling novel and now a movie, uses fanciful fiction to help people process age-old intellectual and emotional struggles about evil, suffering, and divine character.

Did a loved one just die? Maybe your marriage is failing, your boss showed you the door, your lump is malignant, or an earthquake leveled your home.

Perhaps an important business deal collapsed or false gossip torpedoed a treasured friendship.

“God, how could you allow this?” comes the cry. How could God be all loving, all powerful, and all just?

From Office Depot to a theater near you …

Author William Paul Young first self-published fifteen copies of The Shack at Office Depot as Christmas gifts. It’s now sold 19 million copies and been translated into 50 languages. Clearly, the story has hit a nerve. Film stars include Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer (The Help), Sam Worthington (Avatar), and Grammy winner Tim McGraw.

(Spoilers ahead.)

Mack, the protagonist, has submerged much of his childhood pain from his abusive, alcoholic father. He now enjoys life with his wife and family, until a serial killer abducts and murders his young daughter Missy, sending him into deep depression. Through some curious happenings, he revisits the murder scene, a decrepit shack deep in the woods.

There he spends a fascinating weekend with … God. Actually with all three members of the Trinity: God – a large, loving African-American woman named “Papa” (the story explains this); Jesus – an actual Jewish carpenter; and the Holy Spirit – an Asian woman with a Sanskrit name, Sarayu, meaning “wind.”

Processing pain

The four enjoy sumptuous food, starlit nights, and lots of conversation. The three guide Mack through processing the painful “if only” questions related to Missy’s death, and in forgiving his adversaries.

They also help with the intellectual questions: God gave humans free will, hence human evil. Jesus came in love. By his death and resurrection, humans can be reconciled to God and enjoy the relationships – divine and human – for which they were created.

Multiple resonances

Many may find The Shack emotionally/spiritually therapeutic and intellectually satisfying. The story resonated with me on multiple levels.

I agree that God, though sovereign, gave us freedom to follow or disobey him. This does not answer all concerns (because he sometimes does intervene to thwart evil) but suggests that the problem of evil is not as great an intellectual obstacle as some imagine.

Pain’s emotional barrier to belief can be formidable. Jesus understands suffering. He was scorned, beaten, and cruelly executed, carrying the guilt of human rebellion.

When I see God, items on my long list of questions will include a painful and unwanted divorce, betrayal by trusted co-workers, my second wife’s tragic death last year from cancer, and all sorts of disappointing human behavior and natural disasters. Yet in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection I’ve seen enough to trust him when he says he “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God.”

Serious conflicts

That said, The Shack book has some serious conflicts with a biblical view of God, and some with simple logic. (The movie avoids some – but not all – of these.) Others have detailed such issues, so I’ll mention just a few.

The book seems to indicate that Jesus’ death and resurrection will bring all humanity back into a relationship with God, regardless of individual decisions. The biblical documents maintain that individuals must personally accept divine pardon for it to be effective in their lives. The film only hints at this issue.

The book’s Sarayu and Papa say rules like the Ten Commandments were given not to make humans good but to reveal their flaws and their need for God. Fair enough. It took me nineteen years to understand that important distinction. But the two also believe rules and expectations harm relationships, which should be our focus. (The movie touches this matter tangentially.)

I would stress the proper emphasis. Biblical expectations (about love, service, forgiving, spousal faithfulness, etc.) can be tracks for healthy living once we’re plugged into divine power for living.

In the book, Sarayu perplexingly claims the word “responsibility” is not found in the Bible. A simple search disputes that. The film omits this mistake.

The book’s Jesus maintains that all mental turmoil and anxiety are related to religious, political or economic institutions. Including concern for tsunami deaths, for instance? “Allness” claims invite rebuttal. Better “much,” or something similar. The movie omits this overstatement.

The Shack film will get people thinking about important issues. If you view it – or read the book – I encourage you to do so with discernment, discuss it with friends, and measure it by the Good Book.

Rated PG-13 (USA) “for thematic material including some violence.”

www.TheShack.movie Opens March 3 (USA) International release dates

Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents. He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.RustyWright.com

Copyright © 2017 Rusty Wright

The Shack movie: God and your tragedy. When your personal tragedy strikes – and it will – is God good? Millions wrestle with that question. The Shack, a bestselling novel and now a movie, uses fanciful fiction to help people process age-old intellectual and emotional struggles about evil, suffering, and divine character.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mack (Sam Worthington) and “Papa” (Octavia Spencer)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mack and his family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus, Mack, Papa, Sarayu

Filed Under: BLOG POSTS, Guest Posts, Living in Faith, Living with Purpose, Movie Review, Real Relationships Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sometimes You Just Have to Suffer

5 April, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Do you ever feel like God has left you or forgotten about you? Do you think Jesus thought His father forgot Him? 

Jesus did not want to endure the pain and agony of the cross. But He knew that His crucifixion must take place for God’s plan to be carried out. 
God never left Jesus during His suffering. When Jesus hung on the cross at the very end of his life, He separated Himself from God when he sacrificed Himself for the sins of the world. He became sin, and where there is sin, there is not God. But at the moment Jesus gave up His spirit, He bridged the gap… 





…between sin and God—between us and God. God’s plan was that of a Divine Conspiracy and Jesus knew His suffering would end with the greatest miracle ever on earth. And it was his death and resurrection that would bring the gift of salvation and eternal life to mankind. 


Jesus was God’s son. God didn’t enjoy seeing His son in pain, but He knew the extreme measures that must be taken to wash away our sin—to purify the corrupted heart of man. After all, he did create us. 

Haven’t we all known someone—or been that someone—who had to hit rock bottom before he/she saw the light and decided to make changes? 
I look back at my seven years of hell and am amazed at all that I learned during that miserable existence. God taught me things I couldn’t even see at the time. And though there were many moments I wished I could cease to exist, I wouldn’t trade them for anything now that I see what God was teaching me. I’m guessing Jesus felt the same.
We are God’s children. When God looks at us, He sees Jesus. No one wants to endure hardship and pain, but God has a plan, and just as Jesus’s pain was necessary for the salvation of man, we must endure trials in order to carry out God’s plan for us.
Your pain and suffering could just be the best thing to ever happen to you. 

It was for me. 
From my heart,
Celeste 
Filed Under: Beating Depression, Chronic Illness, Fighting Your Fears, Living in Faith, Living with Purpose, The Power of Prayer, Your Relationship with God Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Your Handiwork

9 January, 2012 by 1 Comment

Has anyone tried Laughter Aerobics, my first tip to a happier you? (Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Laughter Aerobics) Well, here’s my next tip to a happier you: 

Work with your hands…“Handiwork.”
I realize this really doesn’t make much sense, but it is another thing we can do that will naturally increase the serotonin in our brain. When we do repetitive, coordinating movement with our hands, the amount of serotonin in our brain will increase. The ideas are limitless–scrap booking, knitting, origami, playing guitar, pottery, jewelry making, carpentry–after all, Jesus was a carpenter.
Here’s why: 

Handiwork increases contentment~When you are working with your hands doing something that requires a little thought (but not stressful thought), your mind doesn’t have time to worry about the past or the future, but instead settles on the thoughts of the moment you are in helping you be content. 
Handiwork decreases pain~As a pharmacist, I’ve seen patient after patient who suffers from depression also be diagnosed with fibromyalgia. When serotonin is low, your threshold to pain is low. Any repetitive movement you do with your hands has been shown to directly increase the levels of serotonin in your brain, not only increasing your mood, but also increasing your threshold to pain. Also, pain is perceived in your brain. Your brain cannot concentrate on two things at the same time, so when you’re concentrating on what you’re doing with your hands, your brain literally cannot interpret pain signals and your pain will decrease. 
Handiwork may help overcome addiction~Have you ever known someone who has a knitting or crochet project in their hands every time they sit down to relax–every time their mind might be idle? Often these hobbies like knitting, crochet, or cross-stitching become addictive. But this is not necessarily a bad thing. Through research (and through my own learned personal experiences) it has been found that the tendency toward addiction has a genetic component. Being “addicted” to knitting may work to keep another addiction from surfacing. And in turn, addiction to knitting might help someone overcome another addiction by keeping that idle mind occupied so whatever addiction is will not be at the forefront of his or her mind. 
Handiwork increases productivity~Someone who is depressed typically lives in a hopeless state. They have a hard time setting goals, because they truly cannot motivate themselves enough to accomplish them. They feel unproductive and worthless. Picking up and easy “handiwork” hobby like knitting can be such an easy thing to do to begin to transform a depressed mind into one that wants to learn, set goals, and even do something for someone else. When I was so sick, in and out of the hospital, someone knitted me a prayer blanket. As she made the blanket, she prayed over it, blessing her and me both! 
Handiwork helps you relax~Remember I taught you about the hormone, cortisol, in the Laughter Aerobics Post? Well, it comes into play here as well. When you work with your hands in any movement that is repetitive and requires a little coordination, it causes relaxation and your cortisol level decreases, therefore allowing your serotonin levels to increase, therefore creating a happier you! 



Get those hands busy!


From my heart,

Celeste
Filed Under: Beating Depression, Brain Functions, Handling Stress, How to be Happy, Making Changes, Overcoming Addiction, Tips to a Happier You Tagged With: , ,

Help, I’m in pain!

14 October, 2011 by 3 Comments
     Have you ever seen a house that was taken over by stray cats? It all starts with just one stray cat. You feed it. It has kittens. You feed them. They have kittens, and so on and so on and so on. You end up with around 50 cats living in, under, and around your house, waiting to be fed. You get more food because you are feeding more cats. It becomes an out of control situation. What happens if you don’t feed them? They come to the door, to your feet, and pester you to death until you until you do! They get on your nerves, they might even get mean, and scratch or bite you.
     This is an analogy to help understand what happens to our brain when we take narcotics for pain like Lortab, Vicodin, or Oxycodone. Our brains have receptors that tell us when we are in pain. For the sake of explanation, lets say we normally have 10 receptors. Drugs in the narcotic class are the only drugs that truly block those receptors to relieve pain. Narcotics taken for short periods of time are typically not a problem. But when we keep feeding narcotics to those receptors, they begin to multiply like stray cats. Where we once had 10 receptors that perceive pain, we now have 100, or 500, or 1000. So what do we do? We have to feed them more. They continue to multiply. What happens if we take that narcotic away? Those receptors attack more ferociously that any amount of cats ever could. This is physical addiction. Narcotics will actually change the chemistry of our brains.
     When I began having migraines and seizures, I was prescribed a narcotic to use when the pain could not be controlled any other way. I took it off and on as needed, only it seemed like I needed it more and more often. My pain tolerance got lower and lower. When I ended up taking Lortab for two months after a seizure, broken nose, and sinus surgery, I couldn’t go off of it without throwing up constantly. My receptors were out of control. At this point, any tolerance I had at all completely disappeared. I struggled as my brain and body screamed for relief. 
     When God healed me and I became free from all medication, a floodlight came on in my brain. I looked back over my journey and realized something about pain I’d never realized before. When I began using pain medicine off and on to relieve migraines, my headaches intensified. Then when I began taking it even more often, the headaches were unbearable. The increased receptors in my brain were causing my perception of pain to be worse. Now that I have been off all medication for over a year, the migraines that once sent me to a dark room in tears are now just headaches. They are unpleasant and aggravating, but they no longer stop me in my tracks. 
     True, full-blown addiction typically requires help. It’s a tough battle to win, but with God, nothing is impossible. My focus here is on the millions of people every day who take just one Lortab at bedtime to be able to sleep, or just one Oxycontin in the morning to allow them to be able to work. Taking small maintenance doses of a narcotic increases pain receptors just enough to increase pain perception. We may think it’s the pain that is worsening when it might just be the perception of pain is higher because of the receptors. 
     God created those pain receptors in our brain–just the right amount–because we need to perceive pain to know when something is wrong. He made us in His image. He didn’t intend for those receptors to torture us, but when we feed them too often, they grow. And grow and grow and grow.  If you are taking a low maintenance dose of a narcotic, you probably perceive your pain to be worse than it really is. If you can stop taking it long enough for your brain to get back to normal, I bet you’d realize the pain isn’t nearly as bad as it once was. Give it a try if you can. Believe me, I never thought I’d see the day that a migraine headache didn’t send me screaming to a dark, quiet room for the duration.
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Filed Under: Managing Prescription Drugs, Overcoming Addiction Tagged With: , , ,