So, I was working today, well kind of, I was in the baggage office and found an article in the local Christian News Paper that struck as kind of interesting. It is called "The Shack, Uncovered" now I read the book and it was to say the least an interesting read. It does not follow a lot of the beliefs of my own faith but I thought what the heck why not give it a read anyways. It is a great book, it sends a message of hope, and healing to those that have suffered some terrible things in this life.
Back to the article I read. The author of this article said that the book is a deep ditch covered in beautiful flowers, and many Christian's are falling into the ditch. Now that seems a little bit harsh to me. I mean seriously just because you don't agree with the authors take on religion do you have to attack him for it? He brings up the authors past and present religious beliefs and is very critical of why he has taken the path that he has. Now he does mention that the author of the book is trying to awnser the question that I think a lot of people have asked, Where is God in a world full of pain and hurt? He then goes on to attack the way that the author portrays God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Now I may not have agreed that God was a African-American woman myself but I do believe that we each have a personal relationship with him and it is possible that we each see him differently and that is ok. We are entitled to our own belief. This day in age I feel it is more important to believe in God than to try to tell people what he should or should not look like. For that matter in the book "The Secret Life Of Bees" the higher power for them is an African-American woman as well. The author of the news article also makes mention that the author of the book presents a false view of god, and mocks the importance and the uniqueness of the bible. I know what I believe and when I read this book I had to try really hard to remove my own religious back ground from my mind and just read it for what it was, a story. The author of this book did not put it out there and declare it as doctrine next to the bible, he wrote a story about a man that was struggling to find peace with tragedy in his life and that it a wonderful story to tell. We all need a little bit of hope and light, a little something that proves that when life is hard if we can lean on God, however you feel you need to, we can get through it. The one thing that the author of the news article said that really struck me was. "Cling to the God who loves you so much that He gave His all."
We should do this, I know that God is there, that He loves me, and he knows me, and he cares about me. He loves all of his children, and he knows each of us by name and when we need him he is there for us, all we have to do is remember to ask, he does not always just offer his comfort. In the last few weeks, life has been rough, emotionally, physically, and financially. I have had to get down on my knees on more than one occasion and ask for help just to get through the day, and I always do and I am always back on my knees at night thanking my Father in Heaven for the blessings of that day. I know that I would not be where I am today without my faith. I am forever grateful for my parents and my grandparents and my great-grandparents for bringing the Gospel into our families and keeping it there. Sharing it and loving it as much as they love our family. As well as teaching us tolerance, and love for others even if they do not have the same faith as we do we are all Children of our Father in Heaven and should treat each other that way. Always remember, treat others how you would like to be treated, and if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
