The Missy Question

As we continue our series entitled "Reflections on the Shack," we have to deal with the Missy question. Mack asks God, "If you can't take care of Missy, how can I trust you to take care of me?" This question embodies much of Mack's pain. At the core of his being, Mack no longer believes that God is good. Mack can't bring together these two words--pain and providence. They don't fit together when he first enters the shack.

You see, Mack believes, at the start of the book, that God must be behind everything--the good and the bad, justice and injustice. So Mack assumes that God must have played a part in Missy's death. Mack even asks, God, did you take Missy away from me for the way I treated my father? Mack believes God sends evil and he authors wickedness . . . to make a point.

This view creates some very troubling questions. Does God take away loved ones? Is disparity part of God's plan?--some children have everything, some won't see their first birthday. Does God send pain to teach us spiritual lessons, as some suggest? In other words, does God need evil to show how good he is?

I can't buy this. Can you?

Thankfully, there is an alternative. Mack soon discovers, as he journeys with God in the shack, that God is not behind everything. God reveals to Mack that in world where freedom is a reality, freedom can be abused. If freedom is real, the consequences have to be real as well. If God takes away the consequences, he must also take away the freedom. He gave us freedom because he wants to be freely loved, and we've abused it. This world is marred by our sin. Humans are at the pinnacle of creation, which means when we abuse our freedom and reject God's love, we unleash evil forces in all of creation.

All of this means, we don't have to believe that God's hands are wrapped around steering wheels or that his fingers are on triggers. We don't have to look into the death of a child and try to discern the face of God. We don't have to look at disparity and try to talk about the inscrutable purposes of God.

Instead, we can hate evil, wickedness and injustice with a perfect hatred. We can state clearly that this is not what God intends. Death is the final enemy to be defeated. There are still forces opposed to God's purposes.

The good news: these forces are being overcome. Our salvation is about redemption and rescue.

Peace.