the shack

Sometimes I don't get it.

People's offenses, that is.

Sure, everybody has the right to their own opinion on anything and everything. At least we do in this country, isn't that right, JoshUSA?

But.

I was recently reading a blog in which some commenters slammed the book, The Shack. I mean, ripped it a new one and I only use that expression because I think it's so gross that it's laughable. Like when you laugh such a great big snort through your nose that a boogie comes out with it, unexpectedly debuting during your conversation. Gross, but laughable. And that's still not as gross as ripping someone a new one. But still, that is what these commenters did. To the poor Shack, which was absolutely fine with the one it had, I am sure.

One comment expressed something along the lines of, The Shack was totally against everything the scripture and God stands for.

Um, excuse me? Maybe we aren't reading the same Bible, because I am pretty sure forgiveness, redemption, and relationships are a pretty huge theme; I mean, I am no scholar, but I'd go so far as to say that they are even The Pervasive Theme in the Bible.

Which is what I got out of The Shack.

Now I am all for hearing why you don't like it, if you don't like it, but be specific and try to be fair. Don't just broadly stroke it as heretical. As blasphemous. Because it had something very strongly to do with love and grace and I am pretty sure that 9 out of 10 times a story like that has something to do with what God stands for.

Maybe even 10 out of times.

And another thing: there is something that the Papa character said in the book, this phrase that has stuck in my brain, acting like a prism that reflects little bits of light every time the sun catches it.

She said that God doesn't have expectations of us, rather that He has expectancy toward us.

For some reason, changing that from a noun to a verb has made all the difference to me. It's made God's thoughts towards me alive and always, always in the all encompassing now. I feel like our relationship is not some boring to-do list, this antiquated list of right and wrongs that I try desperately to wipe clean of the dust in the 21st century; but rather, it's exciting. It's all the time. It's not walking alone, not attempting the tasks that shape me without the knowledge that Somebody thinks I am resilient and up to the task because of the interdependence we have with each other, we have in each other.

God has expectancy towards me, and vice versa.

And good things are going to come out of this, I just know it.

On the whole expectation vs. expectancy thing, somebody said,

expectancy is kinda enjoying the anticipation of something good

expectation .. is cracking the whip .. and making it happen

And I like that I don't see God holding a whip. I like that I see him smiling when thinking about his kids...