Jim Cogley Reflections: Tues 22 July – Mon 28 July 2025

Tues July 22^nd– Applied Wisdom

A young man had grown up in a household where alcohol abuse was rife. His childhood was spent fearing his father’s change in personality and violent behaviour when drunk. He had witnessed his mother’s anguish and seen his two eldest brothers go down the drink road and become replicas of their father. Being of a sensitive nature with a spiritual disposition he decided to go the opposite direction and recognizing the dangers of alcohol he decided to remain completely free by being a non-drinker. As he got older, he saw his friends enjoying their social life of which alcohol was very much a part. So, he grew curious about what he was missing and wondered if he was aa free as he thought. Having recognized the alcohol gene in the family he knew he had been wise to be wary as to how easy it might be to slip into its grip, but perhaps he had overreacted? An old man gave him a piece of advice that resulted in the new perspective that he needed. ‘If you can enjoy something without guilt and abstain without compulsion therein you will find freedom.’

Wed 23^rd July – A Wisdom Lifestyle

There once was a sage who lived an incredibly busy life. Yet in spite of all his interests he never seemed to lose himself and always seemed serene and peaceful. Even with numerous commitments they never seemed to clash, and he seldom seemed exhausted from his many pursuits. Understandably people were curious and would ask him the secret. No one ever got the full picture, but his different comments made to various parties when brought together were quite comprehensive. He would say ‘Life is just a series of moments and learn to be present to each one without being anxious about the next’.  Then he would say, ‘Whatever you are feeling, just allow it to be, without thinking you want to be rid of it.’  Also ‘If you see something recurring in your life, it’s never going to change unless you learn the lesson it has come to teach you, so deal with it.’ Then he would speak of singlemindedness, of having your entire life centred around a single goal, which for him was the Kingdom of God, and ‘living from that space you will never be meant to be in two places at the same time’.

Thurs 24^th July – The Pursuit of Wisdom

We live at a time when knowledge is increasing exponentially, and we have all that we need of it at the touch of a few buttons. One teenager made the comment that she was part of a generation ‘that was never so connected and yet never felt so isolated.’ This is because knowledge is not wisdom. Knowledge teaches us about life while wisdom teaches us how to live in a manner that brings peace, contentment and fulfilment. There is something about wisdom that while it doesn’t live in the future it is still future orientated with an awareness of what is transitory and what is real. It is so much more than a bunch of sayings; rather it is a timeless quality that is fully grounded in the here and now, it has its roots in the past and yet has a starlike quality. In the Old Testament when King Solomon was taking over from his father David, he found himself young and inexperienced. He felt God was inviting him to pray for whatever he wanted, and it would be granted. So, he prayed for wisdom, and it was so entirely to God’s delight that He made him the wisest king that ever lived and as a bonus gave him everything else, he could possibly have asked for.

Fri 25^th July – The Wisdom Path

As mentioned yesterday, wisdom, while being very grounded, always has an eye to the future. It is a strict disciplinarian that doesn’t allow us to drift through life aimlessly as if we have all the time in the world to waste on trivial pursuits. Wisdom daily reminds us that our being here on this earth is not by chance and that we have a purpose to discover and a path of destiny to pursue. It reminds us that a death bed conversion while it may get us into heaven might still be the waste of a good life where the slow pace of soul maturity and the discipline that it takes was never given consideration. Wisdom demands that we so live as to be true to ourselves, to our purpose in life and to our destiny. Wisdom tries to keep us on a path that leads to ever increasing life and doesn’t allow us to hibernate in the cave of unawareness or to dwell too long in the cul-de-sacs of guilt, resentments, anger or judgement.

Sat 26^th July – Life Review

‘Make us know the shortness of life that we may gain wisdom of heart’. This is a beautiful prayer from one of the psalms. Having wisdom of heart reminds us of many things, not usually of that which may seem urgent, but more of that which is important. It reminds us of our Soul purpose, of our Soul value and of our need for continual Soul maintenance. As we get older and experience time running out faster like a toilet roll as it comes to an end, we will question if our life was all about us, or was it part of a bigger picture? As I get older my better self will review my life and critically evaluates what it is truly thankful for. Perhaps it will not be the long hours spent working but the way I chose to relate to others and how good I made them feel. It will never regret the countless acts of kindness and generosity, the way I used my money wisely to help feed and house others. Certainly, it will never chastise me for taking time out and doing whatever it took to discover and pursue my soul’s purpose.

Sun 27^th July – Teach us to Pray

The Our Father is the most famous and often used prayer in the world. While it is recited over and over it is rarely lived in its essence. To say ‘Our Father’ is to acknowledge that we are all God’s children and therefore part of one great family. This includes all faiths and none and so excludes all forms of bigotry where one group considers themselves superior to the other. As brothers and sisters, we inevitably have squabbles and disagreements but to maintain the integrity of the family we are not meant to have long-term conflicts that continue for life or even extend to later generations. To do so is not to ‘hallow’ or make whole God’s name. Nor is to bring his kingdom of justice, truth, and love to earth; in fact, it Is the very Ie. It Is also to cut ourselves off from ‘our daily bread’. The provision of God is only available in the present and any form of bitterness and resentment means we are living in the past where we are busy trying not to forget whatever wrongs we feel as having been inflicted upon us.

It was in response to seeing Christ praying that the disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’ Some years back I made a similar request and wrote down what I felt the Lord was telling me. It has been the basis of my prayer ever since. It’s not so much a formula of words I recite every day but more a daily attitude that creates a framework for what it means for me to live a life of faith. I call it, The Prayer of Surrender.

Lord, I place my life in your hands,

I entrust myself and my troubles to your care,

I acknowledge you as my Lord and Saviour,

Master and Redeemer.

You stand at the door of my heart and knock,

I now open that door and ask you to please come in

Your gift is mercy forgiveness and eternal life.

Help me to hear what you want me to hear,

To say what you want me to say,

To know what you want me to know,

To be where you want me to be,

To do what you want me to do.

I commit myself joyfully to your work,

Knowing that your power working through me,

Can do infinitely more,

Than I could ever ask, dream or imagine.

Don’t let me get in your way,

And don’t let me die until my work is done!

To you, O Lord, be the glory,

The honour and the praise,

In my life and through all generations.

Amen.

Mon 28^th July – Short-term Pain and Long-term Gain

Wisdom has been described humorously as ‘a blinding flash of the bleeding obvious’. It is something so hidden in plain sight that we can always be looking elsewhere and never see what is so close at hand. Usually, it is born of pain and difficult experience, and a gem may take years of quarrying to uncover. It yields its rewards not in the pursuit but in the acquisition. Then something that may have taken years to realize can be transmitted to another in just moments in a manner that they can hear and have it make a difference in their lives. For example, ’to daily do something that one day your higher self will thank you for’, is an invitation to a disciplined and wise way of life with long term rewards. Or ‘to always reflect on your life and see that where you have come from without awareness is also where you are going and perhaps might be right now’. This is a wonderful invitation to live a life of awareness and not to remain asleep in the illusion of unconsciousness where someone else is always to blame for my misery and misfortune.