The 1

And those who owned the 99

were so surprised that

they were also the 1.

Of course, we are capable

of participating in the search

for another 1; on those occasions

when our own 1-ness  has been

woven into the fold once more

by the shepherd who

never ceases searching

and is always ready to weave

our exhausted, broken selves

back into the fabric of community.

Being the 1 always catches us

by surprise, when we realize that,

no matter how much we have,

how much we've done,

how great we are, we are still the 1;

the 1 who has convinced himself

that he’s invincible; the 1 who is sure

she has more of life figured out

than anyone else; the 1 whose words

say, “We’re all in this together.”

but whose attitudes and actions scream,

“I’m better than the rest of you!”;

as well as the 1 who

is sure that no matter how much

he does for others, the deep truth

of his own self is not worthy

of being found and celebrated;

neither by God nor anyone else.

Here’s the catch: the shepherd

will never give-up on us;

will pursue us to the ends of the earth;

to the end of our life and beyond;

because he’s the one who knows our true worth –

who knows why we were made

and what we’re created for.

We’re all priceless coins in God’s eyes.

So, the question is really

whether we're going to join

in the celebration when

God finds us again today,

or whether we're going to insist

that we've never been lost,

because we own the 99.

No matter how much we have,

no matter how many other

lost ones we’re helping search for,

we still need to let ourselves be found,

again, today, and every day.

© 2013 Todd Jenkins