Jesus Loves Me

I heard a lot of buzz about this book, and so I read it.  I am hoping you have read it too.  It was an easy read.  It is a novel about God.  Basically, it is the story of a man, Mack, whose young daughter is kidnapped and killed on his watch.  Understandably, that huge loss colors his life...until he gets a note to meet God at the shack in the wilderness where the murder of his child took place.  He goes and meets God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  He gets to ask God questions, tell Him about his anger, and see his daughter again.

Of course, it is a human's view of how he imagines it might be to converse in person with God.  There are parts that seem odd, like God takes the form of a woman in the book, even though He explains He takes the form that will make Mack most comfortable.  Heaven is right there, kind of in another dimension not visible to humans.  I am sure that we cannot even begin to guess what God is like in person or what heaven is really like, but, it is fun to read what is in Young's imagination.

There are some things in the book that made me think about what God wants from me.  The story says that God does not want a piece of me and a piece of my life.  He wants all of me and all of my day.  He doesn't want to be the first of a list of values.  He wants to be the center of everything for me.  Another interesting God concept in the book is that He does not have any expectations of me.  He knows me completely and everything I will do in my life was determined by Him before time. If He did have expectations of me, that would mean law is a part of the relationship and I have to behave to live up to His expectations. He loves us without rules or requirements.

It made me wonder if we spend too much time trying to be what we think God expects.  Should that time be better spent just being with Him?  

But the best thing I read happened at the first meal Mack had with the Holy Trinity.  No, of course they do not have to eat, but they do it to join with Mack.  Jesus ends the meal by saying He wants to have a time of devotion.  He holds his father's hands and looks Him in the eye and tells Him how much He loved the way He helped Mack that day, what a joy He is to watch and how much He loves being His son.  Isn't that a much better definition of devotion that what we do and call devotions?  I have been praying with more devotion since I read it.  Try it, it opens up your heart.

So now, if you have read this book, I am dying to know what you thought.  I have read positive and negative reviews, but want to know what a real person thinks.  If a book makes me think about things that I have known my whole life, I call it good.

Normal Girl