She was never alone. I never left her; we never left her, not for one instant. I could no more abandon her, or you, than I could abandon myself...She may have been only six years old, but Missy and I are friends. We talk. She had no idea what was going to happen to her. She was actually more worried about you and the other kids, knowing you couldn't find her. She prayed for you, for your peace...I can tell you there was not a moment that we were not with her. She knew my peace.Mack cries on Christ's shoulder for a while, then they get up to leave. Mack, assuming they will return the way they came, removes his socks and shoes and tries to walk on the water. He is unable to. He continues, unafraid since Jesus is right there with him. Jesus joins him, and Mack is now able to walk on the water again. Poignantly, Jesus says, "This always works better when we do it together, don't you think?"
As they walk, they begin to talk about heaven. Jesus says,
Our final destiny is not the picture of heaven that you have stuck in your head--you know, the image of pearly gates and streets of gold. Instead, it's a new cleansing of this universe...It is a picture of my bride the church: individuals who together form a spiritual city with a living river flowing through the middle...And this city is always open, and each gate into it is made of a single pearl...That would be me! Pearls, Mack. The only precious stone made by pain, suffering, and--finally--death.They continue on, and have a discussion about religion versus relationship, a topic that swept YouTube this spring, with a spoken word video someone made bashing religion in favor of only relationship. This young man and Jesus seem to have similar viewpoints, at least the Jesus in this book: "You're only seeing the institution...That's not what I came to build. What I see are people and their lives, a living, breathing community of all those who love me, not buildings and programs...It's all about relationships and simply sharing life."
They get back to the cabin, and Mack walks to the porch to talk with Papa. They make small talk for a few minutes, then Mack suddenly asks, "Is that what this is about? Did [Missy] have to die so you could change me?" Papa, taken aback, replies,
Just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn't mean I orchestrate the tragedies. Don't ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I needed it to accomplish my purposes...Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors.Later, at dinner, the three and Mack have been having a very complex discussion. Mack says that he has always thought that God wants human beings to set Him first, followed by other priorities. Jesus says, "I don't want to be first among a list of values; I want to be at the center of everything...Rather than the top of a pyramid, I want to be the center of a mobile, where everything in your life...is connected to me but moves with the wind, in and out and back and forth, in an incredible dance of being.
So who deserves forgiveness? No one. If anyone deserved forgiveness, grace would not need to exist. But grace does exist, and it is freely and lovingly given to us without our having to do anything for it. Good thing, too, since there is nothing we can do to earn the love and grace and forgiveness of God. How often have I placed God on my list of priorities, making devotional and church something to check off my to-do list? Just about every day, it seems like. What would my life look like if I really and truly put Christ as the absolute center of my life, making everything I say, think, feel, and do revolve around and flow from Him?
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