"Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."

     This post will focus on one particular chapter of The Shack. Mack (the protagonist) meets a beautiful woman named Sophia, a personification of God's wisdom. Mack has lived a life judging almost everyone. He wants justice for the people who sell their children into war or slavery. He wants justice for the men who murder innocent victims. He wants them to go to Hell, so Sophia tells him he must see how it feels for God to send some of his children to Hell, so Mack must pick three of his kids to go to Hell.  After a minute of screaming that he wont do it, or cant, he asks to go instead. He cries and begs to go in their place. She says, "Now you sound like Jesus. You have judged well." "But I havent judged them," he replies. "You have judged them worthy of love, even if it cost you everything."
     Sofia tells Mack that humans' faults result from the brokeness of their souls. Then he blames God for the broken souls. He blames God for the tradgedy in the world, his father who brutally beat him and his mother, and the twisted man who killed his 6 year old daughter. Mack wonders if God creates the bad so he can create good, because if his daughter had not died, he would not be with God right now. But God says, "Just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tradgedies does not mean I orhestrate the tradgedies [...] Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors. So, yes, God doesn't create the evil, but can't he still prevent it? But we demanded our independence and now we destroy the world with it. "So why doesnt He do something about it?" "He already has- He chose the cross where mercy triumphs over justice because of love. Would you prefer he'd Chosen justice for everyone?" Sophia asks. "No, I don't," Mack replies, "Not for me or my children."
Judgement is not about destruction, but about setting things right.