Okay, I just finished reading “the Shack” last night.
My take? I sense God all over it. Most of it. I really liked it and it touched me deeply. I also think that there are sections that get preachy enough that it should be obvious to the reader that the writer is trying too hard. They just don’t carry the same weight as other sections, don’t have that same “oh my” ring to them. I won’t tell you which they are, I’ll let God tell you all that.
My first reaction, though, to be honest, was jealousy. As I read, I thought things like, “Oh no, people are going to think I stole ideas from this.” (I just finished my own book, which I’m self publishing). My book doesn’t deal with a death, grieving, and such – but the tone of the conversations, some of the spiritual realm stuff, is remarkably similar. I wrote it just before the Shack came out, I think, but still. I can be such a tool.
But my second reaction was more holy than the first one — more along the lines of, “Well, isn’t it cool that God is saying the same stuff to more people than just me?” And, “I think these compliment each other very well.” I’m intrigued to see where all this leads, though I’m still kinda disgusted with my initial, short-sighted jealousy. We can be fickle creatures, can’t we?
I rejoice that God has seen fit to inspire someone with such a powerful message. I believe we need to hear it.