The Color Purple

I just finished reading Alice Walker's book, The Color Purple. Wow! What an amazing story. It is a bit difficult to read at times but the messages in the book far outweigh the painful parts. If you have ever seen the movie, it follows the same plot lines but, like most books (except for the Twilight series) there is so much more detail in the book. I highly recommend reading it if you haven't yet.

In part of the story, the main character, Celie struggles with her relationship with God and there are many passages that I identified with. So, I want to share two with you.

“Celie, tell the truth, have you ever found God in church? I never did. I just found a bunch of folks hoping for him to show. Any God I ever felt in church I brought in with me. And I think all the other folks did too. They come to church to share God, not find God.”

 

 “Here's the thing, say Shug. The thing I believe. God is inside you and inside everybody else. You come into the world with God. But only them that search for it inside find it. And sometimes it just manifest itself even if you not looking, or don't know what you looking for. Trouble do it for most folks, I think. Sorrow, lord. Feeling like shit.

It? I ast.

Yeah, It. God ain't a he or a she, but a It.

But what do it look like? I ast.

Don't look like nothing, she say. It ain't a picture show. It ain't something you can look at apart from anything else, including yourself. I believe God is everything, say Shug. Everything that is or ever was or ever will be. And when you can feel that, and be happy to feel that, you've found It.
 

And so, today I have found God in a book. I will continue to search and be happy when I feel Him.