Redeemed

Photos by Todd Jenkins

At our deepest, we know

there is chasmic disconnect

between the person our culture

tells us we should be

and the person we really are.

How we choose to deal

with this inconsistency

defines our life’s path.

Operating the battle metaphor,

against a series of external enemies,

bifurcates us, one part

acknowledged good,

the other, denied evil.

Projecting our unacceptable selves

onto serial adversaries,

we will never find peace

within or without, only

increasing piles of weapons and enemies.

Banquet’s the metaphor,

where all are invited,

bringing the fullness of their lovely

and unlovable selves to the table.

It’s the only way we can be

redeemed and made wholly holy;

the place where union with the divine

supersedes our faux majesty.

It’s also the only place and way

that we come to recognize

the same redemption in everyone else.

Once the curtain has been pulled back

on the facade of our own perfection,

we are free to see the amazing grace

that all are more like us than different.

© 2013 Todd Jenkins