#220: MOVIE REVIEW - The Shack

 

The Shack follows the story of Mack Mackenzie Phillips who grew up under a very abusive father and through the abandonment of a mother. His mother left because after he reported his father's abusive behavior to the Church Preacher, his father beat him very harshly having discovered. Mack was left alone to grow with his father for the rest of his life. But he poisons him when he is 13 years old. Mack grows up to be fulfilled adult, even churchgoing with a beautiful family.

The beginning of the movie opens with Mack's family preparing for a camping trip. It is while on this camping trip that tragedy strikes and Mack's little daughter, Missy is abducted and killed by a serial killer. Her body is not seen. But her torn dress and blood are found in an abandoned shack. His older daughter Kate blames herself for what has happened. Because she caused a canoe accident where Mack had to save her from, thus leaving Missy on her own for a while.

The death of his little daughter derails Mack's faith and life until mid-winter when he receives an unstamped letter asking to meet at The Shack. The letter is signed by Papa, which is Missy's title for God. Mack believe it is some sick joke by the killer and so takes his rifle and loads into his friend's SUV to go to the shack. On the way, he nearly collides with a truck. Reaching the shack and finding it empty, Mack is enraged and moves to shoot himself with the gun but is stopped by a figure who leads him to a trio of strangers who live nearby. They invite him to their home. Gradually, they reveal their identities to him. The Black woman being God the Father as Papa, the Middle Eastern man is Jesus while the Asian woman is The Holy Spirit.

Jesus shows Mack that he needs to forgive himself first before he can forgive anyone else. Together, they make a wooden box. The Holy Spirit helps Mack prepare his heart. They prepare a spot in the garden for a planting. Papa in her own right, leads Mack to the cave where Missy's body is hidden. They take the body, wash it, place it in the box and lay her to rest in the garden. Mack's heart is still heavy. He visits another cave where God's wisdom in the form of a Woman named Sophia speaks to him. He sees Missy briefly but is unable to speak to her.. Mack sees his father who asks for his forgiveness which he gives. He is also forgiven by his father for killing him. So, he sees that Missy's death is not punishment for his sin. Finally freed from guilt and his faith restored, Mack runs on water with Jesus. He leaves the trio and gets into the SUV to get back home. He collides with the truck seen earlier and wakes up in the hospital.

Narrating his story to his family and his wife; Nan, he helps Kate see that she is not to blame while he helps his family get over the tragedy. There are Love and Guilt in this movie as themes.

Guilt

As a Christian, we all come to the point where we feel guilt for doing something wrong or something we simply perceive is wrong. From repenting, to falling into temptations, to losing faith. It all brings guilt in to our souls. It is at this point that some people simply miss the mark and never come back home. Others actually look for and find hope and regain their standing. We are our greatest enemy; our natural state. It tells us that we are failures. We are weak. We can never make it. We can never earn God's love. (ROM 3v23) Guilt had been a major aspect of Mack's life. Ever since his mom left home, he always felt responsible for what happened to her and consequently felt directly responsible for what happened to Missy. Mack already bore this load, so losing Missy was only a trigger to him finally derailing. Guilt is born out of remorse. And while remorse is good, guilt is a false shadow of it. Guilt makes us take blame for our shortcomings and make-little God's sacrifice for Salvation in our lives. While remorse leads us to repentance, Guilt does not let us move forward with our lives. Guilt stagnates us. Notice Mack never had any peace up until mid-winter. Even then, he was ready to shoot the killer. But Guilt is an item God uses to make us come to the end of ourselves. Mack could see his incapabilities and limitations because he felt guilt. At the Shack and in the caves, God showed him just how little he was in control of anything that happened to and around him. He had no strength in himself. But Mack needed to feel Remorse to see that. Guilt was the extra mile he did not have to go. Guilt challenges the finished work of Christ on the Cross. (ROM 3v24).

Love

We see that Love is what conquers all. We live in a world where darkness is simply the best way to express and to survive. Those are the standards. Life says; when someone knocks you down, get right back up and deal them as well. But our Bible and Our Savoir teaches us something different. It teaches us to use love instead of anger; love instead of revenge; love even in pain. Mack's experience at the Shack shows just how much God is willing to let us find our way back to Him. We may have been through a lot - pains, sorrows, unexplainable horrors, but our anchor is God's love. (ROM 8v38-39).

Mack was riddled with grief and pains and guilt, but mercy through God's love prevailed. By experiencing firsthand Communion with God, Mack could understand and explain to his daughter Kate how forgiveness works. He could even come as far as loving his daughter's killer. Mack's story gives us a direct example of how we are hopeless, but God gives us love through His sacrifice.

We are humans. We are frail. We are dust. We have shortcomings. We have failures. We hardly have great moments. But as Christians, our wealth and advantage is in the cross of Christ. We will encounter evil. Because we are enemies with the world; but our singular goal is to Love - to love not the world nor the things in it, but the people who are God's as well. We must ask God for Grace so that we do not let our trials take our minds away from our assignments. For some of us, we may have to come to the end of ourselves in our own Shacks in order to experience this love. May mercy prevail for us. Amen. (ROM 10v8-10)

Written by Kauna MaiDaraja (Precious Marcus)