NEW YEAR REFLECTIONS

By Fr Jim Cogley

As we approach the end of another year I remind myself of the three key words that have been central to my life for the past 50 years. They are ‘yes’, ‘surrender’ and ‘abandonment’. ‘Yes’ to allowing God to work in me and through me, and to accomplish His purposes even in spite of myself. Surrender is closely related and carries the sense of letting go to whatever is at any given time and approaching life’s situations with open hands and not being too attached to the outcome. Finally, abandonment: Here I think of trusting in divine providence. This means that where the appointment is, so will the provision be. God will not call me to do something for which I am not fully equipped for the task. The word Providence comes from the Latin provideo, which means to see ahead, and it is this assurance that God will provide, that is an ongoing source of comfort. As the journey has progressed, I have become convinced that all the Lord requires of us is, neither our ability or our inability, but our availability. Just with that, He can do immeasurably more than we can ever ask or dream or imagine.

There are gifts that have developed as an essential part of my ministry that for most of my life I didn’t know that I had. Yet I can see how those latent gifts were God’s provision for fulfilling my unique mission. My work with wood goes back 25 years and before that was completely hidden under layers of blocked creativity. Yet now it is an essential part of the way that I teach, and many who are visual learners greatly appreciate that approach. My writing was another unknown until 20 years back and now with thirteen books published, plus daily reflections, the writing can reach thousands. daily Likewise, my natural intuition and curiosity into how things work, has become an invaluable asset in psychotherapy work. Reflecting on these issues, in the light of my own experience, leaves me convinced that each of us is already fully equipped to fulfill our life’s purpose. It is as we say ‘yes’ to that path that more and more of our gifts come to the fore and can be used in the service of the Kingdom.

Life can appear very complex, but it can be greatly simplified by the application of just one principle – doing the will of God. Contained in this are certain core truths that begin to reveal themselves, even when I am just willing to be made willing. Full willingness is a work of grace and also a free gift.

To do the Will of God is to be radically true to my higher self.

To do the Will of God is to be led to exactly the right place in life.

To do the Will of God is to be brought into precisely the right relationships.

To do the Will of God is to experience Divine orchestration and perfect timing.

To do the Will of God is to bring alive all our talents and Divine potential.

To do the Will of God is to experience daily Divine providence at work.

To do the Will of God is to be blessed beyond my wildest imaginings.

To do the Will of God is to become who I really am.

One of the great keys to happiness that is woven through the Bible is the importance of surrender or letting go. This concept strikes at the very heart of our egocentricity and so is what the vast majority of us run from, and don’t want to hear about. It is the necessary dying of the seed that must happen before it can begin to bear fruit. It is what in many traditions is called ‘the dying before we die’ that is so necessary if we are to live from our true selves. At the end of the day, the extent we have lived a life of surrender and abandonment to divine providence will determine our overall satisfaction with our lives. This is when it will become clear, not so much what we did for God in our lives, but more what He did through us, because of our lives being yielded to His will. The supreme example of this is the ‘Yes’ of Mary in her encounter with the Angel Gabriel.

Many books and magazines expound keys to happiness but tend to leave out the one that is most fundamental – following the Will of God for one’s life. Christ said that the one who does the Will of his Father is closer to him than even direct family members. What an astonishing truth that is, and there surely can be no greater secret to happiness! There is absolutely nothing in life that we can claim as our own that does not come from God, with one exception, and that is our will. This alone He has placed in our power that we can give to Him as uniquely ours. Many of us will go a long way astray and end up with our lives in total disarray, before we realize our need for a higher power to manage our lives. Perhaps the going astray is even a necessary part of the journey before we can plead that poverty of spirit expressed in the First Beatitude that alone qualifies us to avail of Divine assistance.