Seven years ago I read the book. This past Sunday, Brett and I went to see The Shack with some of our youth group students. Due to an adorable baby waking up and missing some of the show, we decided to go back again last night and really absorb the gold that is in this movie.

I’ve seen many parents post online that they have no intention to see the movie because (spoiler alert) a small girl is abducted and murdered in the beginning of the film. As a mother myself, I hear you on that thinking, but let me assure you- the girl’s murder is NOT what the film is about. The movie, instead, is about facing our pain, processing our anger, acknowledging our own sin in it, and trusting God to be a good Papa to us in all circumstances. It is all about the relationship God wants to have with all of His children, in every experience. For these reasons, I encourage all humans, not just Christians, to go see the film.

Now if you choose to see the film and you’re a Christian, I advise you to keep an open heart and mind. I’ve heard some are boycotting the movie because of theology issues. The Shack is not a Bible-based documentary, and it isn’t meant to be seen as one. It’s a creative work meant to help those who are stuck in their pain see things a new way. It means to stretch the paradigms you may (incorrectly) have about God the Father, Jesus, or Holy Spirit. Before going in, I would encourage you to ask yourself the question, “What if I’ve put God in a box and what I think about Him isn’t the whole truth?” After all, don’t we all have more to learn?

As someone who has experienced great loss the past two years, this film was golden. There were so many nuggets of encouragement and truth. As we watched the film the second time, I fumbled through tears to rapidly type out some favorite quotes to process later. One of my favorites were when the main character who has experienced a lot of tragedy is yelling at Papa (God) that He was never there for him. Papa kindly and gently responds, “When all you see is your pain, you lose sight of me.” I can absolutely affirm this from experience. As we have navigated the loss of our three children to miscarriage and the loss of Brett’s sister to murder, we have had to choose to keep our eyes fixed on Him to carry on. When we take our eyes off of Jesus and fixate on our pain, that is a slippery slope to depression, hopelessness, and worse.

If you haven’t yet experienced great loss, pain, or disappointment, you will. We are all guaranteed trials this side of Heaven. I hope you are able to remain connected to Christ throughout the journey and that it is processed quickly. But in the interim, let me advise you to check out this film. Let it stretch your paradigms. Invite Holy Spirit to speak to you as you watch and allow new encouragements and truths to invade your heart and mind. Even if you cannot currently relate to parts of the movie personally, someone you know does and knowing better ways to love them is vital to their healing.

If you have endured horrific loss like we have, take your tissues and don’t allow Pain or Fear to rob you of this beautiful healing experience. Brett and I have had major heartbreak dealing with the murder of his sister in recent months, and particularly in the past few weeks. Watching this film in the midst of losing a loved one to a violent crime led us both to ugly cry and sob out loud in the theater. We were both in a place that our spirits needed to release, to cry out loud; so we did. I am unashamed in my processing of my pain. I know that ignoring my feelings, pain, and loss won’t make it go away. Instead, I will grow hard and I will hand down my pain and dysfunction to the next generation. I refuse to do so. I pray you won’t either.

At the end of the film, in reference to his stubbornness, the main character asks God, “Why’d you keep working on me?” Papa simply responds, “Because that’s what love does.” Whether you see this film or not, I pray you know that no matter what you’ve done or been through, God is still pursuing you and desires a loving relationship with you. He is Love, and there is nothing greater.