'The Shack': Where tragedy confronts eternity
THIS WEEK’S WINNER
MANILA, Philippines – Teofilo R. Casmiro Jr. of Las Piñas City got his BS degree in math at UP Diliman before entering the ministry; he’s now an associate pastor in Pamplona, Las Piñas and EVP of CARE, Inc. as well as chairman of Alliance of Christian Development Agencies.
How I wish I could say that everything in life is rosy and pleasant. But the truth is that life is full of adversities and trials that seem to catch you off-guard and rob you of your joy and peace. I began reading the book The Shack out of curiosity since the front cover said that, “This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress did for his. It’s that good!” I admit that I am not as fond of reading fiction as I am true-to-life stories or instructional materials. But there is something unique about the approach of author William P. Young towards theological truths and issues that leave you enjoying the book and finishing it. Maybe it is not just a coincidence but a God-ordained opportunity for me because, just like Mackenzie Allen Phillips (or “Mack”) in the book who lost her child Missy to a serial killer, bringing upon him the Great Sadness that he bore on his heart for years, I too have encountered my own unexpected adversity which was unlike anything I had experienced in the past. I was searching for answers to my questions and freedom from my burdens so I poured myself into the contents of the book and read it twice. Though I am a self-composed and unemotional type of a person, I could not help shedding some tears while reading portions of the book that spoke personally to me.
The story is told by Willie, a personal friend of Mack who has witnessed his transformation from a deeply wounded, depressed and bitter person to one who is more loving, kind and forgiving, ironically after spending a weekend at the shack where Missy’s torn and blood-stained dress was found. He narrates how four years after the tragedy, Mack received a note in the mailbox supposedly from God (the sender’s name was “Papa”) saying that he would be coming to the shack the following weekend, in case Mack wanted to get together. Although Mack has doubts about the mysterious note, it haunts him to the point that he makes plans to visit the shack without the knowledge of his wife or children.
The visit to the shack revives feelings of pain and despair in Mack as his memories of Missy come back to him. He fails to meet God, and gives up hope of ever finding Him there. But as he leaves the shack, suddenly his whole surroundings are transformed; even the shack became a bright, new place. As he is irresistibly drawn back, he meets three unusual characters by the names of Papa, Jesus and Sarayu (representing the Triune God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The author portrays them as warm and approachable yet probing and profound, very much unlike the stereotypes we have of God as being cold, distant and legalistic. I could sense God speaking to me directly through them although it was with Mack that they were engaged in conversation. I think it is the real intention of the author for readers to experience a one-on-one dialogue with God since Mack is very much like any of us, with our doubts, struggles and hang-ups.
Although there are many prolonged philosophical or theological discussions in the story that may be heavy going for some, there are also many moving scenes and dialogues that will touch your heart and minister to you. I especially like the part where Mack meets Sophia (Wisdom) and he is confronted with his own judgmental attitude towards God and people. Mack learns that God didn’t desire man’s fall into sin but instead did something to show that He cares — by sending His Son Jesus to die for us. The Father Himself experienced the suffering of His Son. This is followed by another scene where Mack is given a chance to see Missy, through a transparent cave wall, playing with other children and Jesus, though he is not permitted to touch her. He is assured that Missy does not blame him for failing to protect her. Then there is the scene where Mack has his eyes touched by Sarayu and he sees an army of children like dazzling lights and in their midst is someone who appears agitated. That someone turns out to be Mack’s father. Mack had an abusive father, the reason why Papa first appeared to him as a woman whom he could more easily communicate with. They have a chance to embrace each other, confess to each other and forgive each other. Mack experiences healing and immediately after that Papa appears to him as a man. Papa engages Mack in a conversation wherein he finally decides to forgive the man who killed his daughter. Papa then leads him to a forest and eventually to the cave where Missy’s body was hidden by her killer. Missy’s body was placed in a beautiful coffin that Jesus made and was finally laid to rest in the garden plot that Sarayu had prepared. After the three disappear, everything (the shack and its surroundings) returns to its previous state. Mack meets with an accident on his way home and it is during his stay in a hospital that he recalls the things that happened to him during those two days in the shack and begins to share them with his friend Willie, his wife Nan and his daughter Kate.
Reading the book led me to accept the painful things that had happened to me a few months back, to forgive the people who had brought such pain and put myself in the embrace of the God who understands and cares about our pains. I am hoping that someday I can look back at my own Great Sadness and say that it was worth going through it because it was there that I came to know God in a deeper way. I learned that I should not be afraid to face my fears, my pains, my own “shack” because it is there where “tragedy confronts eternity,” where the Great Sadness leads us to meet the Great Comforter. For even Jesus Christ Himself faced suffering on the cross so that we may be redeemed by His blood and experience a new kind of life eternal life with Him.
