This is part two of a two-part blog. See the first installment HERE.
This month we had a movie night and watched The Shack (based on the book by William P. Young) together. The next morning we had a really great conversation about sorrow, hardship, and surrendering them to the Lord.
There are a few scenes that have always stood out to me. I’ve included them below for reference. (I’m sorry if you have’t seen the movie, but it’s been out 10 months, so I figured if you wanted to watch it, you probably have. If not, go watch it! It’s a great movie!) Also, the clips are a few minutes long, but I promise it’s worth it to watch them to the end!
In this clip, Mack (the main guy) goes into a garden with the woman (who represents the holy spirit). They spend some time digging up plants that are beautiful, as well as weeds. They make space for something else and in the meantime have a conversation about bitterness (the deadly root), judgement, hatred, etc. Then the woman stands and admires the garden. She asks how Mack views it. He says, “It’s a mess.” She agrees with him, but then adds, “Wild, wonderful, perfectly in process. This mess is you.”
This is a beautiful illustration of our hearts. We are wild, beautiful, in process, and yes- even a mess sometimes. Just because things seem out of control or not placed perfectly, doesn’t mean that they aren’t beautiful or building us up for good. Just because our lives or circumstances are beyond our understanding, doesn’t mean that God isn’t orchestrating something extravagant and meaningful in that.
Often, God asks us to do hard work in ourselves. He asks us to dig stuff up, even stuff that seems good. He asks us to surrender to his leading, even when we don’t understand. He asks us to trust him as he makes room for the things of Christ. Just like in this clip, God is asking us to make space for something, even among the weeds and flowers.
(Backstory for a moment- Mack’s daughter was kidnapped and killed, and this cave is where the killer left her. It is marked with a red crescent shape. So as they go into the cave, Mack knows he is confronting his biggest heartbreak, the hardest thing in his life, his Great Sadness.)
In this clip, Mack goes with the man (representative of God the Father) to a cave in the middle of the woods. They find his daughter and Mack knows he needs to tend to her. He’s scared, overcome with pain and grief. He glances back and the man is right there with him. He encourages him to continue and never leaves his side. Together Mack and the man (God) wrap the daughter in cloth and flowers. They deal with the sorrow, the pain. Mack then carries her all the way to a barn. There, a younger man (representative of Jesus) and the woman open the barn to reveal a casket for the little girl. Relief and sorrow wash over Mack’s face as he realizes he can have healing and that he doesn’t have to carry the weight of his burden anymore.
The young man takes the daughter from Mack and lays her inside the beautiful casket. He covers her with flowers. The older man (God the Father) is there, feeling Mack’s pain. The woman (Holy Spirit) is by his side, comforting him. The younger man (Jesus) is making all the preparations, carrying the weight of the sorrow, doing everything so Mack doesn’t have to. In the next scene, the young man and Mack carry the casket together to the garden where Mack dug earlier. They meet another woman (who is also representative of God the Father…if you have questions message me and I can explain!) and then together, all four of them lower the casket into the ground and cover it with dirt and flowers. The younger woman takes out a bottle of liquid and pours it over the newly covered ground. It is explained that these are Mack’s tears, the healing waters of his body. From the ground, from the Great Sadness, flowers and a beautiful tree grow. The tree is the centerpiece of the garden.
So, through all of this God has been speaking to me about pain, grief, and healing. Just like Mack, we have to go to the place of our deepest hurt, our biggest grief, the thing that makes our legs give out underneath us when we try to carry it. We have to go to the darkness of the cave to deal with our Great Sadness BUT God goes with us. He never leaves our side and he helps us tend to it. Then we must pick up and carry our burden to the foot of the cross and willingly hand it over to Jesus. He meets us in our pain and takes it from us so we don’t have to carry it anymore. Jesus does everything for us…we only need to surrender it to him. Jesus takes our pain, carries it, and lays it to rest. The Lord pours out his prayers and healing for us over the sadness. He cultivates the place it once occupied in our hearts and he grows something beautiful from us surrendering the pain to him.
From our Great Sadness comes beautiful healing, restoration, and growth. The Great Sadness may very well become the mighty focal point of our lives, the Ebenezer of where God did a great work in our lives. God never wastes hurt or grief. God always uses it for our good.
So friends, I am leaving my season of grieving. That is not to say I’ll never mourn again, only that the season has ended for now and I’m entering into a season of rest and celebration. The Lord has taken the hard and replaced it with rest and growth and beauty. A tree has sprung up out of the heartache, tears and cultivated ground that God has helped me prepare. I can’t wait to see what’s next!
Where are you hurting today? What pain and sorrow do you need to deal with and then surrender to Jesus? How can I pray for you in that?
Momma, Dad, Sue, LB, Aussie, and Skouty: thank you for being a source of comfort, love, support, and joy. You are my people and I am so grateful God gave me you. Praying for you every day. I LOVE YOU!
