Performance vs. Grace
Posted February 02, 2009
By rboggio1,
The Shack is story. The Author tells you it is a story. The entire book is a combination of stories and life experiences. The author plainly tells you it started out as a story for his kids. “Young” is not trying to teach you anything. He is trying to share with you a story. So there are embellishments to make the story work. Just like any other “fiction” book. I have read some reviews that want to discredit the book as heresy because “God” presents himself as a woman. After all God is a man right? After all the bible does say that “God is spirit, neither male or female”. Yet God saw fit to reveal himself in Jesus as well as a dove. Oh and not to mention a burning bush, a pillar of fire at night and a cloud in the day. But hay it’s heresy to think God would show himself as a woman.
We live in a world today that is pretty much void of grace. Yes we speak about it like it’s a good luck charm. We say we live in it, yet we still perform to try and win God’s Love. How quickly we are to justify ourselves for our hollow and void performance in front of our God. How quick we are to justify that while Jesus died for my sins it really was not enough despite what he said. I have to add my little bit into it to make my acceptance to God complete. How quick we are to tell God how entitled we are to whatever we think we should get. Welcome to the world of “POP Religion”. Welcome to “The Shack”, the very center of our pain.
The Shack very quickly address’s POP Religion and puts it up on center stage. It does it in an amazing way and quickly reveals where you are at with regards to the performance vs. grace equation. And then God shows up. For all that this story say’s, one thing is for certain it takes you on an incredible journey. A journey of grace. How much does God love you? When Mack gets judged by the spirit of God, I had to sit down and repent before a “Most High God”. I preach against the “entitlement” philosophy all the time and yet it still hit me like a Rocky Balboa punch. When you recognize the grace weaved throughout the story you are left questioning not how much God loves you but have you let God love you? Then the story has achieved its goal. God loved us long before we loved him. Are we telling God how to love us or are we on God’s terms letting him love us? Not what can you give us, but how do we receive your gift of grace. You will walk away from this story asking that question. That’s a good question to be asking.
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