Light Bulb Moment

I have recently been reading The Shack. Why has it taken me so long to read this amazing book? I have no clue, but it has been faith altering for me.  It was like a light bulb just turned on inside. I found some amazing tangibility and understanding of God through reading it. Specifically chapter 8. It's too good to not share.

Our purpose is love, but pain blinds us to love. We can't fulfill our purpose due to the pain in our lives. Like a bird who's wings are clipped. His purpose is to fly, but he can walk. Though walking would be pointless for a bird who can fly, its not his purpose.
In our purpose of love the natural progression of loving others is having relationships. Not relationships as we know them, but relationships the way God intended them. Relationships are meant to be just like how the Trinity is related to itself. There is not one above or below the other. God doesn't rule over Jesus or the Holy Spirit. They are all One, in a loving relationship together. Here is the hard part; We are created to be in that relationship with Them. Just all of us sitting at a table of love together. We introduced power and pride to the relationship and because of that rules and laws had to be put place to enforce authority over one another. In a real relationship there is no authority. No one is over another, I dare say not even God. God doesn't want to rule over us, if He did then He wouldn't allow free will. He wants to be in a relationship with us. He wants to love us and us to love Him.

The Trinity. Who are they?
GOD. Loving, but He usually gets the blame for it all. We should fear Him out of respect. In the book He chose to be a loving black mother figure. You know, the kind that love on you, cook some amazing food, but will whip your butt into shape when you act up. Love it!
JESUS. Friend. He is God but chose to be human. How did he heal and perform miracles? God did it through Jesus. Jesus could not have done it alone, because He chose to be only human and not God.
HOLY SPIRIT. Home. Nature. The emotion of God. The One who guides us when we are walking down the wrong path so that we still fulfill God's will. He collects our tears and turns them into healing.


Good versus evil. Everything from God is good. We introduced the idea of good and evil. Who are we to choose what is good and evil? Since when do we have the power or right to judge that? Especially when we only see a small part of the picture. Good and evil is a human thing. Not a God thing.
Once again, the hard part: A couple of years ago at a women's retreat that I went to I heard the idea of radical forgiveness for the first time. If everything that happens results in spiritual growth, then nothing bad happens. Therefore there is nothing to forgive.

These may be truths that other people probably already know. I have pretty simply mind and this stuff is pretty deep. While the light is on and I have a different understanding when studying The Bible and talking to God, the hard part is practicing it. Fulfilling my purpose and loving others, having relationships. Remembering my purpose. And the hardest part, not thinking that I am above, or being upset that I feel like I am being treated like I am below someone else. Putting myself out of the equation and just focusing on loving someone else.