Jim Cogley: Reflections Tues 20th Feb – Mon 26th Feb
Tue 20th Feb – Have A Purpose
A poem that shaped my life from teenage years and etched itself on my brain was entitled, Have a Purpose. It’s now so far back that I can no longer remember who the author was, but this is it:
Live for something, have a purpose,
And that purpose, keep in view.
Wandering like a helmless vessel,
Thou canst not to self be true.
Half the wrecks that strew life’s ocean,
If some star had been their guide,
Might have now been riding safely,
But they drifted with the tide.
This resonated with my deepest belief that each of us has a divine purpose that is as utterly unique as ourselves. To discover that purpose and to devote one’s life in its pursuit has to be the ultimate secret to peace and fulfilment.
Wed 21st Feb – What Motivates us?
It was the vision of the Promised Land, a land where milk and honey flowed, that inspired Moses and propelled the Israelites to take the risky journey out of slavery in Egypt and move forward in the belief that God had better things in store for them. Whether I come to the end of my life with a sense of satisfaction feeling that my life counted, I made a difference, or my life was a matter of little consequence, largely depends on the goals I set myself, the purpose that drives me and the vision by which I choose to live by. It’s the difference between ending up somewhere or ending up somewhere on purpose.
Thurs 22nd Feb – Ultimate Fulfilment
What is my life really all about? What is its meaning? How can I find true fulfilment? Do I want to be part of something larger than myself? Have I something unique to share with the world? Where am I headed? Does my very existence make any difference? These are the serious questions of life that all constellate around one other fundamental question. Do I have a purpose, a single overriding purpose, that makes my heart sing, that makes me want to get out of bed each morning, causes me to count my blessings and keeps me going with my life? It’s interesting that in the Bible, Sin is equated with lack of purpose. It comes from the Latin word hamartia and is taken from archery where it means to fall short of, or to miss the mark. It’s our sense of purpose that constitutes the goal we aim for in life.
Fri 23rd Feb – Calling or Career
There is the world of difference between the choosing a career and following our calling. Our lives become meaningful and fulfilled when we respond to a calling instead of the demands of a a career, when we are following a purpose instead of just the requirements of a job. When we do, we are making a life, and not just a living. Unfortunately, so many young people today only think in terms of career and rarely of their deeper calling to be who they really are and so end up with an existence rather than a life that is truly fulfilling. This is not to deny the importance of having a career, but it can never define who we are. In introducing ourselves to others for the first time we tend to say what we do. However, jobs come and jobs go, one day we retire, so who are we then? We never retire from God’s plan for our lives. Ultimately, we are not what we do, but as part of our purpose in life we can do what we are. Our career can serve our purpose and help form a life that is the true expression of who we are.
Sat 24th Feb – Seeing is Achieving
What we can see we can achieve. What we can see in the depth of our heart and soul we can materialise in our life. This seems to be one of the important laws of existence that is expressed in the Lord’s Prayer for the Kingdom to manifest on the earthly plane as it is on the heavenly or spiritual level. This ability to envision is what gives us the energy to realise our uniqueness and make our contribution to the world. Each of us is born with a special mission and purpose, the pursuit of which can bring us to full aliveness. Jesus said, ‘Seek first the Kingdom and everything will be given you besides’. It is our purpose that helps us move towards our safe harbour and provides us with all the necessary means to do so. Not knowing that harbour, no wind can get us there. With our dream we can see the invisible and achieve the impossible.
Sun 25th Feb – Transfiguration
The piece shown is of a smiling face with a dirty grin carved into a moon. It was one I made during lockdown. On days when I’m feeling a bit out of sorts, I place him on the mantelpiece and then I feel over the moon.
A poet once said, ‘Tis not hard to find the minds construction in the face.’ Our faces usually reflect what is going on in our lives and how we are feeling in our hearts.
As good as we may be at putting on a face to meet the faces that we meet the truth usually manages to break through. When we did something naughty back in school days the teacher usually only had to look down the classroom and pick us out as guilty. Even if we vehemently denied doing whatever we did our lie was usually written all over our face. It wasn’t always true because I remember being one of those who, whenever accused, even of something I hadn’t done, always reacted by looking guilty, so I was forever in trouble.
When we get angry or embarrassed, we automatically go red in the face no matter how much we try to hide it. When we are sick the blood drains from our face and we turn green. When it’s cold we turn blue. When frightened we go white. It’s said that we go green with envy. It’s no wonder a dark man once said to a white man what a neck you have to call me coloured!
In the Gospel passage Jesus and his three companions leave the noise and bustle and the smells of the village behind and ascend this high mountain. The mountain in scripture is always a symbol of prayer, it’s where we get the panoramic view and see things from a divine perspective. As he prays, Jesus hears the voice of the Father saying, ‘You are my Son the chosen one’. This is coming at a time when he needs it most. The storm clouds are gathering, he knows that he is a marked man, he has eaten and drunk with all the wrong people and not conformed to the status quo. The shadow of the Cross is beginning to loom large so he needs to know the divine stamp of approval on his life. As he basks in the warmth of his father’s approval his appearance changes and even his clothes become dazzlingly white. His inner essence begins to shine through his humanity.
Such is the power of divine approval. To know our true worth, to become who we really are and to find our true selves it is absolutely necessary to come apart from the noise and the crowd every so often otherwise we simply get lost in the world of what the Buddhists call Maya or the world of illusion where we might think that increasing the speed might help but forget that if we are not on the right track it doesn’t really matter.
It’s from taking time out to be quiet and allowing our souls to catch up that we truly become disciples of the master and learn to listen to his voice. The word disciple means to be a listener and a learner. Perhaps the most effective means any of us have to make a difference and to serve the world is simply by learning to listen to God. After all, who has the more to say, him or us? The way some of us rattle off prayers you would think that the only one who had something to say was us.
Some time back a woman had spent some time praying in the church and coming out was asked what was the Lord saying to her? She looked surprised and replied, ‘How would I know? I was too busy praying!’
Once I knew a lady who was a teacher and also a very talented musician. She really appreciated her talent and saw it as her gift to the world. Often, she prayed that the Lord would show her how to make the most of the gift that he had given her. One day she heard a whisper of Spirit that came so quietly that she could easily have ignored it. She didn’t and spent time reflecting on it. The whisper developed into a compelling thought that her mission was to let no pupil go through her school without having learned a musical instrument. The second part was equally important and it was to make an agreement with each child that whether within or outside school hours she would teach them how to play, provided that sometime, somewhere, when grown up, that child would teach someone else.
One of the finest traditional Irish bands in the country now comes from that area and it is from there that so many will be taking part in our forthcoming Fleadh. Her legacy is that today there are far more musicians than non-musicians in that area, and all because over forty years ago she listened to a whisper of Spirit that was like a tiny seed but has now fully grown into a magnificent tree.
Mon 26th Feb – Living the Vision
Whatever our age, our background or our circumstances God has a customised plan just for us. If we honestly seek him then it’s up to Him to reveal it, and then it’s up to us to live it to the full. To live with vision and purpose doesn’t take from the fact that much of life is tedious and routine but it’s the difference between filling bags with sand or building a dyke to save a town that’s threatened with flooding. The shovelling of itself is far from glamorous but the reason for the shovelling, to save the town, makes it all worthwhile. To live with a sense of vision is to live with the bigger picture. So, no matter what your age or circumstances what is your vision for your life?