Ordering the soul is the hidden work that prevents a life from collapsing on the inside.
I first read Ordering Your Private World as a young Christian and as a student, and it proved to be one of the most formative books encountered in those early days. It was not necessarily the most theological, nor the most literary, but in terms of shaping a life, it sits among the most important books I have read on the Christian life.
MacDonald’s central concern is the state of our ‘private world,’ the inner life that, if neglected, can quietly collapse. He memorably uses the image of a sinkhole to describe this danger, outwardly stable ground suddenly giving way because of some hidden erosion beneath the surface. It is a sobering metaphor. We can appear busy, fruitful, even successful, while inwardly we are disintegrating. Over the years, my life has felt like that enough times for me to wish I had heeded his advice more.
The book explores five key areas of the inner life.
First, MacDonald contrasts the driven person with the called person. Many of us are propelled by the need for approval, performance, or the relentless demands of external expectations. We are pushed and pulled by life. The called person, by contrast, lives from an inward summons, from God’s voice rather than the crowd’s applause. MacDonald offers wise and practical counsel on how to move from drivenness to calling.
Second, he addresses our use of time. But this is not merely about time-management techniques. Time, he argues, must be ordered around our calling and responsibility to God, not simply around efficiency or productivity. Our diaries reveal our theology.
Third, he explores the development of the intellect. He encourages reading, listening, thoughtful engagement, and the steady pursuit of wisdom. This section particularly resonated with me as something I have valued but not always sufficiently pursued. Yet he is careful to warn against intellectual pride, the subtle danger of knowledge that ‘puffs up.’ The mind must be cultivated, but always with humility.
Fourth, MacDonald turns to the spiritual life itself, using the image of a garden. A garden does not flourish by accident. It must be tended and ordered. He writes about disciplines such as solitude, listening to God, journaling, meditation on the words of Jesus, and learning to see the whole of life through Christ’s eyes. Prayer, in this vision, is not confined to isolated ‘times with God,’ but becomes a way of living each day. A life consciously lived before him.
Finally, he speaks of Sabbath rest. Long before Sabbath became widely discussed in evangelical circles, MacDonald was urging its recovery. Rest is not indulgence. It is obedience. It is an act of trust.
What makes the book so compelling is its tone. MacDonald is reflective and inspiring, yet intensely practical. Stories, anecdotes, and examples bring his counsel down to earth. He is not writing theory; he is writing for survival.
One line from the book has stayed with me perhaps more than any other quotation I have read: “Every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character.” That sentence has returned to me again and again over the years.
If I have one regret, it is that I did not apply more of what I learned when I first read it. But even so, its emphasis on living from the inside out — on being a called person rather than a driven one — has profoundly shaped me.
I would warmly recommend Ordering Your Private World to anyone who wants to strengthen their prayer life, deepen their inner world, and resist the tyranny of outward drivenness. It is a book about ordering the soul — and in doing so, ordering a life.
Taster Quotes
“The man or woman who learns to make peace with routine responsibilities and obligations will make the greatest contributions in the long run.”
“Are we going to order our inner worlds, our hearts, so that they will radiate influence into the outer world? Or will we neglect our private worlds and, thus, permit the outer influences to shape us? This is a choice we must make every day of our lives.”
“If my private world is in order, it will be because I am convinced that the inner world of the spiritual must govern the outer world of activity.”
“every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character,”
“I want first of all . . . to be at peace with myself. I want a singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life that will enable me to carry out these obligations and activities as well as I can.”
“Today in our media-fashioned world many good and talented leaders face the constant temptation to begin believing the text of their own publicity releases. And if they do, a messianic fantasy gradually infects their personalities and leadership styles. Forgetting who they are not, they begin to make dangerous assumptions about who they are.”
Find this book on:
Leave a comment