The Shack (2017)

Having read the book years ago, I never got around to seeing this film, until last night, on Netflix. Of course, I’d seen the promo videos, but they gloss over the important stuff.

Essentially, this is a Near Death Experience, wrapped up in a fantasy, hiding as a psych session of one week’s duration. Literally, you cannot take your eyes from the screen during Mack’s conversations with the Holy Trinity at the shack where his daughter Missy was abducted and killed. When Mack asked “Why here?” Papa answered, “This is where you got stuck.”

Grief and guilt need to be worked through, and that is why Mack is back at the scene of the crime, only this time, he thinks about committing suicide.

In truth, he’s angry with God for allowing his daughter to die. Then he gets to meet the Trinity at a different version of the shack.

Sarayu takes Mack to a garden, which turns out to be as wild and messy as his own life.

Then Jesus takes Mack on a journey across the lake to meet his destiny.

Sophia (Wisdom) helps him understand about judgement and consequences of choice.

Having chosen wisely, Mack is then given a glimpse of how the Trinity see human souls.

‘Male’ Papa teaches Mack to forgive the killer of his child.

With the help of ‘male’ Papa, Mack gets to recover his daughter’s body and lay it to rest.

Conclusion

I’ve basically shared the whole film with you, only because the lessons are so powerful and meaningful, at the same time. We blame ourselves, we blame other humans, and we blame God, for the things that go wrong in our lives. What we usually fail to see is that is how we learn our life’s lessons. There is no spiritual evolution without pain.

Amen.