Saturday, January 17, 2009

off of the soapbox

okay, so now we know i'm passionate about my profession... let's talk about books again.

i'm going to backtrack a little, because i think i built up this thing about the book The Shack. i finished it awhile ago, but didn't comment because of two main reasons:

  1. i don't want to sound forced, preachy or self-righteous. the thing is, this book made me reconsider how i think about God in my life. more specifically, the way i sometimes feel distanced from Him. however, that it's my sin and my hostile, dissatisfaction with stuff that made me feel distanced. it's not that He has forsaken me since i've moved to idaho, but i made my idaho existence my own prison away from Him. my anger, disappointment and melancholy comes from how i have dealt with situations, and those are my walls--not His, or anyone else's, for that matter.

  2. it convicted me in my sins--and who wants to hear about that? i certainly don't. it's those sins that isolate me from God and a lot of people in my life. it's the judgments i offhandedly make, when i'm actually not worthy of making of them. i mean, is it really necessary for me to snarkily comment about the woman at mall today who was far too old to be wearing the pink knock-off uggs with the pom-poms? or am i any better of a mother than the woman who is pregnant with yet another brat to add to her ill-behaving and poor-parented brood... just because they are buggin' me at every turn in the grocery store! in the wide scheme of things, let's take a look at the child has been heard to drop the f-bomb?! yeah, that would be my nine year old.

{big sigh} it's a good book--i love the imagery and imagination. i recommend it with caution--prepare yourself for serious introspection rather than a great literature experience.

happy reading!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

yay! glad you finally posted about this. i found the book a little bit liberating, for the same reasons you mentioned. i guess once you know what's holding you back it is that much easier to move forward past the barrier. it kind of takes you to the next level.

and i've found myself over the last few weeks doing that "i forgive you" thing...but mostly for/of myself. i have been trying to get myself to let go of the things that put my stomach in knots...the more i say it, the more i will mean it and the more i will believe in it (hopefully)!

finally, i love the theory of having a "relationship" with God that is not contrived by someone else's rules. i have always felt him in my heart, but more as the final judge and not as an unconditional love. when someone recommends stepping outside of "the rules" and trusting the relationship for what it is...i have just enough experience with organized religion to worry myself sick over such things! yet in some ways i've always felt that spirituality is individual to each person...it kind of helps me to not judge the way {i think} my father felt before he died and just trust that all is as it should be, right?

things to think about! guess i've been dying to find someone who has read this so i could get some things off my chest:)

Unknown said...

I was so happy to see that you finished this! You know I am now out of my comfort zone, but here are my thoughts too.
For being a fictional story, Willie could really touch your heart and make you think about how you live you own life. I believe that the Holy Spirit uses different people and different methods to get our attention and He just keeps trying until we get it.
Forgiveness is the hardest thing to do, especially forgiving myself for the many sins I have. Once I have forgiven myself it is so much easier to forgive those around me for the things I feel they have done to me! Surprisingly, how much better I feel about everything around me, both phyiscally and mentally.
I love you -- Mom