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Gordon MacDonald is on target when he identifies the major problem of our age as the problem of the neglected inner life. "We are of an age," he rightly says, "in which it seems instinctive to give attention to every cubic inch of life other than our inner worlds - the only place from which we gain the strength to brave, or even beat, any outer turbulence." (p. 23)
Part of the reason for this is the vagueness with which the inner life is shrouded. Because it can't be seen its not easily understood - at least, not in practical terms that lend to its management. Much of our preaching, says MacDonald, fosters this sense of vagueness. It is typically done "in lofty terms that leave the hearer moved emotionally but unable to move specifically." And that creates frustration for people "who want definite, measurable ways of responding to Christ's offer to live within us" (p. 9).
What's the solution? MacDonald finds it in the concept of order. At root, he claims, the problem of the inner life is one of disorganization. Its ideal state is one of order (p. 8), but its natural tendency is toward disorder. Sin likes it that way. "It prefers a disorder where wrong motives and values can be hidden away and drawn to the surface in unguarded moments" (p. 8). Bringing order, then, is the key to getting our inner world into shape.
But how are we to do this if our inner world remains a region of misty vagueness? Order supposes that there are recognizable parts that can be put in place. Yet if we don't know what these are, we are never going to get them into place and shape.
That's where Gordon MacDonald begins - by identifying what he calls different "sectors" of the inner life. He recognizes five of these. The first deals with our motivation - what makes us function as we do. The second deals with our use of time, and the third, our intellectual development. The fourth is the sector of the spirit - "the place where we commune with the Father in a way that no one else can appreciate or understand" (p. 10), and the fifth, "a sector that draws us to rest, to a Sabbath peace" (p. 10).
By dividing the inner life into these sectors Gordon MacDonald finds he has a base for bringing order to it. Having identified distinct inner realms or sectors, each can be taken and its ideal state defined. This creates a standard for evaluation on the one hand, and a goal to aspire to on the other. In short, it provides a measurable framework for managing our inner life.
Recognizing these sectors is the first step. The second is to make a definite decision to bring order to each. Decision is essential, insists MacDonald. "We must choose to keep the heart," he writes (p. 24; emphasis his). "Are we going to order our inner worlds so that they will create influence on the outer world? Or will we neglect our private worlds and thus permit the outer sphere to shape us? This is the choice we have to make every day of our lives" (p. 24).
Here, then, is Gordon MacDonald's remedy to the problem of neglected inner lives. Recognize components, understand what is needed to bring order to each, make a definite decision to do that, and renew that commitment every day! This is the way to create that "quiet place where all is in order, a place from which comes the energy that overcomes turbulence and is not intimidated by it" (p. 25). Next week we will interact with this prescription.