An Interior Castle

St. Teresa of Avila writes about an "interior castle" that resides in each of us. The author, Thomas Kelly, talks of the same idea as the "Center", William Cowper, an 18th century Christian poet, writes about "still waters"and Gordon MacDonald uses the metaphor of a "garden, a place of potential peace and tranquility." All of these images symbolize the most important part of our being.

Spending time in Richard Foster's book Devotional Classics, has led me to a new kind of thinking about being with the Lord. It seems that there is a kind of being that breaks from the traditional methods of studying God and his word. I have spent an ample amount of time in more regimented studies, and to be honest, I love them. I love the structure. After all, for better or worse, I am a rules girl. In fact, the "good student/perfectionist" in me will find myself adding more words to my answer for the sheer satisfaction of a perfectly filled out page! Oh, god have mercy on my perfectionism.

The past year, Matt and I have both been encouraged by the Christian mystics, some of them are mentioned in that first paragraph above. Even having been born and raised in the church, this kind of thinking and being is rather new to me. The ancient believers tapped into something on a regular basis that I have only experienced on occasion. It is a "thin place" that these believers describe, a place where the distance between the divine and the finite seem to be in closer proximity to each other. It is a kind of being that I believe we all desire if we are honest. Often times we talk about a kind of Christian that has to experience God, or feel God in order to truly believe in him. In Christian-ese, we call this the camp christian - the believer that depends on things like camp or retreats to bring them back into the fold of god's presence. This is not the kind of lifestyle these believers of old, these mystics talk about. They chatter about experiencing God's presence, but it is not to validate their faith to themselves. Instead it is their entire way of being. It is not a security blanket, but a foundation deep inside of them that remains in tact regardless of their momentary feelings.

Gordon MacDonald in his book Ordering Your Private World, says that we often are "tempted to reach out for a sort of "quick fix" that makes God seem real and more intimate." We all reach out in different ways and often these ways are strongly dictated by our "psychological temperament - [that is], what most effectively touches us for the moment and makes us feel at peace." Instead of attempting to know God in moments, we are called to know God at the core of our being. MacDonald explains to his readers, "The garden is a place where the Spirit of God comes to make self-disclosure, to share wisdom, to give affirmation or rebuke, to provide encouragement, and to give direction and guidance." To have a place for this kind of intimate interaction with the living God is crucial.
If we do not cultivate our garden, we will miss out on abundant life - the life that springs forth from a persons well nourished heart. Church services and religious activities will not suffice. As godly women, we must be attentive to our garden, our inside chapel, or our still waters that are inside of us.

Begin Tonight. As you lay in bed, breathe deeply in and out, then ask yourself what image you most relate to. Start to imagine what it would be like to have a place of holy serenity deep inside your being, a place where you easily remember who God is and that he is for you. A place you can feel the warmth of God's unmerited favor.  Can you imagine the difference it would make? Now, ask the Living God to REVEAL himself to you in this process. How does he desire to speak to you now? And, what is he calling you to do in order to hear him? How must you order your life so that you have space and a calm mind to hear the Lord regularly? Reader, fellow sister in Christ, you have now laid the first stone in your garden's path! This path will begin to wind through your lush garden, as you continue to press into the Lord and lay new stones in your intimate relationship with him. I pray that your heart, mind and soul fall more in love with our Creator.

"He who orders his inner spiritual world will make a place for God to visit and speak."

 Gordon MacDonald, Ordering Your Private World. (Nashville: Oliver-Nelson, 1984), p.115-123.