The Shack

I finished reading The Shack last week. It took me a whole 24 hours to complete the book that I have been encouraged to read for quite some time. There has been a fair bit of contraversy about this book and it's theological correctness. I am no theologian but this book affirmed many aspects of my God that I have always understood but rarely verbalized.
In this book, the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is presented in a very unconventional way. I have had no problem thinking of God the Father as a loving Father. I have always had a good relationship with my own earthly father, so I think that is why I can picture God in this way. If my earthly father had been abusive, absent or distant, it may have not been quite as easy. The main character in this book did have an alcoholic, abusive earthly father. When God chose to reveal Himself, He did so as a woman. Not only a woman but a black woman. One magazine actually termed her as an Aunt Jemimah of sorts.
Jesus (God the Son) revealed Himself as a Middle Eastern Man with black hair and a large nose. One part of the book where I had to giggle was when Mack (the main character) said something like, "Jesus I thought you would be more...." Then Jesus said, "Handsome?". Mack replies rather sheepishly, "Yes". We get this image of a blond German Jesus and it just couldn't be further from the truth. We get so duped in our traditional Christian symbols. I think we all will be surprised when we see our Lord on that day. No matter what, He will be beautiful!
God the Holy Spirit is portrayed as an Asian woman. I resonate with this depiction because of our own discomfort as Christians, with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our teacher and comforter but we often think s/he is mysterious, just like this Asian woman.
The way I see it is, God will reveal Himself to us in a way we can comprehend. He is God and He can do that. He knows each one of us in such an intimate way. He knew when we would come to know Him as Savior and Lord and He knew exactly what it would take to get us to that point of surrender. He knows our coming and our going. He is just the kind of God that would taylor Himself and anything around us to bring us to Himself and in step with Him again.
What a Savior!