Freedom from the imaginary self we're failing to become

Can you hear it?
Can you feel it?
People everywhere
you and me included
our knees, buckling under the weight
of the imaginary self
and the imaginary ideal society
we’re failing to become.

I don’t know if the pressure has ever been this intense to do more and be better. It’s overwhelming and utterly exhausting. 

Personal and societal improvement is good
I’d even say that it’s baked into the design
but when our oughts and shoulds rule us
it’s impossible to be honest about
or enjoy
what is.

The treadmill of performance and betterment is an errand of death.

All of the true and lasting gifts of life
are found at the end of our virtuous rope.

The religious and cultural right and left
the Pharisees and Sadducees
didn’t agree on much
but they both ended up abetting in the ‘lawful’ and ‘right’
execution of Jesus.

Jesus
who exposed the myth of virtuous self-reliance
and individualistic progress. 

We are made for loving relationships
not endless performance and betterment.
We don’t need reform.
We need rescue
from the foolish project of self.

So the question remains...
What would you do? How would you live?
If you knew you were already embraced
by a love that will never let you go
and will never quit on you?

What if you didn’t have to do a damn thing
to belong?

This is the Gospel, the good news of Jesus.
His words. Not mine.