Singular Focus: Part 1

Curly says the "one thing" is something you need to figure out. Neither did Jesus come to tell people what that "one thing" was, no, he had the same message as Curly here. Each individual needs to seek out that "one thing", or maybe I shouldn't say "seek out" but "seek in" because it isn't something you can find "out there", you must seek the answer inside yourself. You must find that "one thing" like Curly did. It is clear that Curly found his "one thing" by listening to the deep stirrings of his heart... "There is nothing like bringing in a herd" he says. He admits to himself what his driving passion is in life, he acknowledges that their have always been "pulls" in other directions, but he admitted to himself that these "pulls" were contrary to the "one true pull" so he sacrificed the others for the sake of the greatest pull. This is how he found peace.

It could be said that Jesus did in fact tell people what that "one thing" was: The Kingdom of God. The problem is that there are so many interpretations of what the "Kingdom of God" means, that this answer basically becomes a non-answer. Some have focused on the idea that the Kingdom of God is not so much a "place" as it is a "method". They will contend that "Kingdom" really is best translated as "Reign", thus the "Reign of God" is the one thing to seek out. I agree with this assessment.

The problem comes when people seek to establish this "Reign of God" outwardly in the world around us. That is how things like the Crusades and the Inquisition came about, people trying to force God's Reign upon others. The Reign of God must originate in the heart of man, nowhere else. When people seek to force "God's will" on others, they are not doing God's will. God speaks to the heart of the individual, even though there may be many other voices demanding attention within that individual.

To seek first the "Kingdom/Reign of God" is to learn how to distinguish the different voices/pulls that we hear/feel within us: What is guiding us to our unique and fulfilling purpose in life, and what is distracting us from that purpose. The "one thing" that Jesus advocates is becoming sensitive to the inner voice of God that speaks in a unique way to a unique individual. Thus, just like Curly, Jesus is saying that each person's unique purpose is for them and them alone to figure out. Jesus does claim though, that there is one voice among the many within us that is the voice of God. This is the voice we must learn to distinguish from the others, and follow what this voice tells us in order to find true fulfillment in life. What Curly leaves as a mystery, Jesus calls "God".

As we learn to follow that voice, our lives are recreated. In the act of hearing and following that voice, we enter into the process of being born anew into this world. That voice gives birth to a new creation, in this way the voice of God becomes the origin of what we come to be in this world. In this way that voice of God within us becomes our "daily bread", our source, our Father. In this way each individual finds their role in life that they alone can fulfill.

If we find ourselves "worrying about a lot of shit", let's take a step back and reconsider the big picture. Consider the wisdom of James who said, " What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." This is true, a human lifespan, even the longest of them, is incredibly brief... yet precious. The voice of God is the "one thing" that brings us into becoming that "one thing" that only we can become. The question is: Do we want to hear and become that one thing?