Curly's Wisdom

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (Philippians 1:27-30 ESV).

There is a scene from the movie City Slickers, when Curly with his wind-roughened, sun-baked, leathery skin cracked at the corners of his eyes and mouth breaks into a rare grin. Three greenhorns had just joined the cattle drive and had proven inept at every turn. The boss, Curly, wondered why they’d chosen to ride the trail. Having been a cowboy for most of his life, he was hardened not only from the weather, but also from life itself. Curly kept mostly to himself and only interacted with others when necessary. So it was surprising when he chose one of the newcomers to help him search for a stray. They struggled in silence through rough terrain and violent thunderstorms, but finally found her. In labor with a breech calf, the two men valiantly tried to save the cow, but she died as the newborn arrived. Covered in mud and birth fluids, the novice flushed with elation at all that he had experienced. On the return trip the young man dared ask Curly a personal question. “What is it that makes life really matter and how do you know when you've found it?” Curly held up one finger and said simply, “Only one thing.” With that they rode back to camp.

This scene, from the movie City Slickers, sums up the plot of this old box office hit. Each of the main characters tries to determine what is Curly’s “one thing”: one finds it in family, another in a fresh start, and the one, who had asked the question, found it in life itself. The Apostle Paul understood this quest very well. In his letter to the Philippians he outlines for them the “one thing” for their life. He summarizes it by calling them to three things. They are to stand firm, stand together, and face their enemies with confidence in the power of Christ. Wherever your challenges are today, in your job, your family, in your relationships with others, there is power in the presence of Christ.

An old fellow had been in the north woods for weeks by himself, camping out. Each night at dusk he built a campfire, boiled water for coffee, and took out his skillet to fry up some bacon for dinner. As he was sitting by the fire one night, the water boiling and the bacon sizzling, he heard a tremendous racket in the brush. The sound was like a roaring freight train, and as trees fell over and branches snapped, the biggest bear he’d ever seen lumbered into the clearing. On the bear’s back was a tough-looking hombre holding a seven-foot live rattlesnake in his hands. The man shouted and screamed as he brought the bear to a skidding halt, bit the head off the rattlesnake, and flung it into the brush. Then he slid off the bear’s back, turned, and hit him between the eyes, knocking him unconscious. The camper was speechless as this wild-eyed renegade walked over to the fire, tossed the boiling coffee down his throat, drank the hot grease from the skillet, and ate all of the bacon in one bite. As he wiped his hands with poison ivy and slapped the bear back to consciousness, he turned to the camper and said, “Partner, I’m sorry I can’t stay around and visit with you a while, but I’ve got to keep moving ‘cause a real bad dude is chasing me!” With the power of Christ, you are that “bad dude.” NOTHING is strong enough to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus! NOTHING is greater than He is! Trust in Him and stand together in the struggle!