- an act or function of updating the display on a screen.
I listened to an interview that Paul Young did for a radio station. The D.J. made an interesting observation. He said that the reason he wanted to bring Young back onto the program is because he hadn't read anything with such spiritual healing in it in over 15 years. I have to agree. The Lord used this book in the lives of so many people. Healing, Forgiveness, Restoration - all stories associated with what the Lord has done in the lives of those willing to go to The Shack.
My question: Why?
We have the Church. We have the Bible. We have the proclamation of the Gospel so accessible to our lives. What is this need for spiritual healing?
There are so many people who don't want to approach this topic. They would rather give themselves to the system. Continue to go through the rituals. Continue to fight the same battles over and over again. Why? Because they don't know any better. They are ignorant of the light and life of Jesus in a practical sense. They have yet to discover the abundant life that He provides, even though many profess faith in Him. Which makes me want to probe a little deeper. What have we missed along the way? How did Paul Young capture something so beautiful in the relationship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
While I don't have the perfect answer, I can give you my insight. I believe what Young captured was the essence of relationship. A view of the relationship between the Godhead that religion has yet to provide. A relationship that we need to understand, appreciate, and appropriate in our own lives. Much of Western Christianity has missed this. We put our understanding of God into a system. A hierarchy. A view of God that must be satisfied before we can obtain peace. What The Shack presented was a God that was very much at home in relationship. A Father who was completely satisfied with the offering of His Son. An offering that was freely given to redeem humanity. A God that will go to any lengths to reach His creation.
Which brings me to why I am writing this blog today. I needed to refresh. I didn't realize it at the time but my "display" (what I was seeing) needed to be updated. I had allowed so many circumstances, negative emotions and thoughts, to consume me. Pain has a way of doing just that. Almost unexpectedly we get lost in the journey. Find ourselves sinking in the water rather than walking on the waves. Taking our eyes off of Jesus. Focusing upon our doubts and fears. All the while, Jesus stands there patiently. Extending His hand. Ensuring us of His presence. Ready to restore.
What has your attention these days? Do you need to refresh?
I'm not here to get you to "DO" something. I'm simply here to remind you that He is always in the midst of the journey. Good or bad. Fun or difficult. In excitement or enduring. He doesn't step our of the room. He never leaves us or forsakes us. He does require our attention though. We do need the occasional readjustment in our thinking. That is what I hope to accomplish today. To give you a bit of a nudge in the right direction.
"You... were created to be loved. So for you to live as if you were unloved is a limitation, not the other way around... Living unloved is like clipping a bird's wing and removing its ability to fly... A bird is not defined by being grounded but by his ability to fly. Remember this, humans are defined not by their limitations, but by the intentions I have for them; not by what they seem to be, but by everything it means to be created in my image. Love is NOT the limitation; love is the flying. I AM love." - William P. Young - The Shack
Find yourself in Him. Enjoy the awareness of His goodness and love. The journey continues.
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