The Shack

I just finished reading a book today entitled, The Shack. I won't give anything about this book away, but I want to really encourage you all to read it! No matter where you are on your faith journey, I promise you, this book will rock you to your core. I cried numerous times reading it, and wrestled through a lot of my own issues with my faith while reading it. God is just so glorious, and His perfect purposes are revealed in a whole new light that makes a lot more sense to my tiny brain now.

The book really focuses a lot on the relational aspect of your walk with God, something I definitely suck at. We get so caught up in the fact that we feel we need to do certain things or act certain ways to be considered holy, Christian people. WRONG. Christ did not come to die on the cross so that we could all judge each other by whether or not we are late to church (if we go at all - especially since it was -20 degrees all day today!), how we act with our friends, how much we volunteer, or how well we pray in public, just to name a few. Christ died so that we become a new creation, reunited with our heavenly Father once more, tearing the veil for good. Christ died so that we may experience unconditional, agape love, something I don't think our human minds will ever be able to comprehend.

Lots of times I am scared to talk to God. Sometimes I feel guilty that I haven't talked to Him in awhile, and I don't want to be scolded. Sometimes I did something I feel ashamed of, and I don't want to be punished. But most times I am scared to pray because I fear what comes if my faith gets too big. Like if I trust God too much, He will give me a trial where I lose someone I love, or something else really terrible. Speaking from my overly logical, analytical brain, it's a ridiculous statement, but my heart is terrified of it. However, God does not give us trials. He simply works through them. Whether or not we go through trials has nothing to do with where our faith is. Many people who have no faith at all go through unimaginable horrors, so the fact that I have faith makes those odds no different from theirs. In Christ, though, I am given the chance to see His plan work through those hard times, a chance to have the best person EVER to rely on to help me through, and a chance to have someone who will never leave me nor forsake me through something like that, no matter how mental I become after said trial. Looking at it from that perspective, I'd say that's pretty darn cool :)

Don't let your earthly fears keep you from having a better relationship with Christ! The devil is quite cunning in that regard.

Blessings,
ChristianKid