The Shack

My book club met last night to discuss The Shack. The book centers on one man's spirituality after a great loss. This loss almost cost him his Faith and his Family. "The Shack" addresses those losses. This is a book that will make you pause and consider your own spirituality and belief system. It will make you question your motives in the name of religion, and it will open you to the possibilities of more. I loved this book. I loved this book for so many reasons. I loved this book because it allowed me to validate some of my own beliefs, and give those beliefs a voice.

Growing up Catholic is something that, until I moved to Decatur, I took great pride in. My sense of spirituality and religion was instilled at a very young age. I wanted to be a nun when I grew up for heaven's sake! I loved the tradition, history, and universality of my church. No matter where we moved, I knew church would always be familiar. It would always be safe. Upon moving here, a whole new world was opened to me. I was asked, "are you Catholic or Christian". I was asked if I "had been saved". I was asked "Do you pray to Mary?". I'd never had to defend my religion before, and this was a new path on my spiritual journey. This opened my mind to spirituality as well as religion. This is when I began to define myself as "incense and crystals", and when I began to discuss fate, karma, and contentment. My relationship with God became more about God, and less about the building I worshiped in. I worked my way through some questions, and in the end, I have come home to the Catholic Church-not because it's the "right" church, not because "it's the only way", but because it feels like home. and as for the structure? I know it sounds crazy to believe so broadly and yet worship so specifically, but as everyone said last night, God is too big for us to understand. If you were a fly on the wall at book club, you would have seen that first hand. and if we can't comprehend Him-how can our children? Children need something to grasp to understand what their heart is telling them. For mine, that will be a rosary. For others, it might be a book. Either way, there will be a Foundation of Faith for them to begin living with, growing with, and hopefully they will have a spiritual journey that gives them peace, hope, and above all else, love.

Now, as you can imagine, this made for one of the most lively book discussions to date. It has been said to "leave religion and politics out of it", and while I've never really been one to do what "they" say, I can see "their" point. Emotions on this subject can be heated and raw. Just look at my own history, and you will know why even the hair on MY neck bristled a few times. and isn't that annoying? That in a circle of friends, we bristle as someone questions our beliefs? I think it's annoying. I was annoyed with myself. It happens though; "they" knew just what they were talking about.