Love Shack

So I am reading this book called The Shack. I have fought it for months. I had to many people telling me "you have to read this book" not always a good thing. Andi brought it over yesterday and I stayed up till 12:30am reading. It is a good read. My problem has been every time I say the name of the book, The Shack, I want to bust out a chorus of B52's Love Shack Baby. 

Now understand the two shacks in question here are very different. But I think I have found a significant connection. It would be LOVE.

What an over used word love is in our modern day vocabulary. I love pizza, my wife, the Sooners and coffee. Maybe not in that order but I say I love eighteen different things a day. I do love my wife but the other stuff, I just like a lot not really so much love. Listen today and see how many times you here someone say " Oh I just love _________!" (fill in the blank). I Wonder why we throw this word, love around so loosely and so often? Maybe because true love is so hard to find and especially hard to experience.

There is a great line in the book The Shack. "You were created to be loved. So for you to live as if you were unloved is a limitation." That one got my attention. I have lived much of my life feeling unloved and having a hard time accepting others love. I recognize the limitations that puts on me but never really saw it that way. It is like all you want is to be loved but for some reason you just don't seem to experience the very thing your heart deeply desires. 

I totally get how we can get to a place that we feel unlovable, but it's not true. The truth is each of us are lovable and worthy of love. But we have to believe that. If we don't believe that we automatically put limitations on our lives. 

This all reminds me of one of my favorite verses in God's word. 

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!

 And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1

I need to remember that. Remember that the Father loves me. Not just loves me, but is lavish with his love. Kind of like he just keeps pouring it over my head with an endless supply. Walking in that kind of love every day would be very empowering, don't you think.

Peace,