I have an autistic son who is now 30 years old.  His illness is the thing that has brought me to my knees.  Problems caused by his disorder still continue to bring struggle and tears.  Years ago, it brought rage and rant toward God.  Sometimes, I still ask “why?”

When I first heard of the book, “The Shack”, I checked it out.   I’m not revealing anything about the book that isn’t on the cover, so I’ll tell you that it is the story of a man whose child is murdered, who gets an invitation from “God” to meet “God” at the place where his child was murdered.  I dropped that book like a hot rock.  I don’t read anything in which a child is hurt.  Particularly fiction.  Life is painful enough, I don’t need to read fiction about it.  But some Christian friends continued to recommend the book.  When I discovered a copy of the book on CD, I decided to try to listen to it.  It was hard to get through the first part of the book.  Particularly now, when the news is full of stories of exploited, missing and murdered little girls.  The things that can happen in this world are beyond sick. And it sickened me to think of what happened to the child in the story, and to realize that it really does happen in the world.  And I joined all the parents in the world who ask, or scream, “WHY?”

And then the father in the book meets “God”, and the healing begins.  I had to purchase my own copy of the book, and I read it with tissues and highlighter and journal.  Many is the time I’ve tried to discern the hand of a loving Father in my son’s life; when he has been hospitalized, arrested, jailed, institutionilized and injured.  When my son’s illness can cause so much pain in our family, and so many tears, and so many questions, I can certainly identify with the father in “The Shack” in his struggle.

The book blessed me.  Like the father in the book, I also have “father issues”, and I have found it hard to deal with the idea of God as a father.  I fell in love with the God that Mac met in the book.  Of course the book is fiction.  It is one man’s idea of God.  But this book offered new ways to look at my “God concept”.  I share my faith with other people, and they share their faith with me.  My life in an ongoing learning about the God I believe in, and I need the ideas of other people.  I need to stretch my mind beyond it own tiny reach.  I consider new concepts in the light of the Bible, and I didn’t find anything in “The Shack” that disagreed with Scripture.  It only enhanced it.

If, like me, you have asked or shouted, “Why!?!” toward the heavens, you won’t find an answer in “The Shack”.  But you may find peace.  And sometimes peace is enough.  And I can breathe again.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Lately, a lot of people in this country are feeling fearful about their futures.  Across the country homes have lost much of their value.  Many people have lost jobs, pensions, benefits or 401K’s.  What happened?!? There is certainly enough blame to go around.  Greed, selfishness, outsourcing, market manipulation, coveting, living on credit cards, buying what you can’t afford–there are endless reasons why this country has found itself in the state it is in.  Some would say that the chickens have come home to roost–that we have gotten ourselves just where we deserve to be.

I don’t see blame as being beneficial–it’s just hurtful.  Having gotten ourselves into this situation, what we need to do is figure out how to get out of it.  2 Chronicles 7:14 is a good place to start.  We, who consider ourselves to be “God’s people” are being told what to do–to humble ourselves, and turn from our ways, and to pray, and to seek God’s face.  Every one of us, no matter how “good” we are, continue to need the refinement of these practices.

I believe that God can do anything.  I believe that if enough people sought God’s face and God’s direction for their lives, and then did what God told them to do, we would pull out of this mess.  I believe that God has a better way.  I also believe that we cannot conceive of God’s method.  That is where we need to be humble when we seek God’s face and God’s wisdom.  And each one of us needs to be personally responsible for our own spiritual walk first, before we can expect any change in society.  2 Chronicles points the way.  We change, then God heals.