INNER LIFE vs OUTER LIFE

Evelyn Underhill

As I see it, we as humans have an inner life and an outer life. The outer life is what is most visible to others and typically how we are judged, so we work real hard to keep it clean and looking pretty. And often at the expense of our Inner Life. That’s my personal journey for much of my early life. And though I am no longer religious I do like what Jesus said in the gospel of Matthew about the Inner Life:

Matthew 23:25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” 

The lesson here is on the importance of the Inner Life. I like what Jesus says here about the “inside of the cup” or the “inner life.” It seems we should be spending the majority of our time on keeping the “inside of the cup” the Inner Life clean. This reminds me of another verse found in Proverbs 4:23 that says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

We live in a culture that currently seems to put most its value on the “outer life” or looking pretty on the outside, you know, what others see. But what’s more important is the “inner life” which is what people typically can’t see, or so we think. When the inside is a mess it’ll eventually manifest on the outside.

LIFE LESSON

Work on making your inner life pretty and healthy and inadvertently it’ll manifest in your outer life. But more importantly you’ll be a healthier happier whole person when you clean the inside. Peace!