The Gospel according to Curly (no not Moe and Larry’s buddy) Remember the film “City Slickers?” The main character Mitch played by Billy Crystal has lost his smile. He does not understand why, he just knows he is unhappy with his life. His wife sends him off with his friends to try and find his smile. The three men approaching middle age go up to play “cowboys” and after learning some riding and roping skills assist with a real cattle drive. The boss of this cattle drive is a real man’s man – a tough old cowboy named Curly played by Jack Palance. Mitch and his friends are in awe, maybe even intimidated by the strength, skill, and ruggedness of Curly. At one point in the film Mitch and Curly are separated from the rest of the party to retrieve a stray. Mitch who seems driven to talk asks Curly, "Your life makes sense to you." Curly replies: "You city folk. You worry a lot. How old are you? 38?" "39” answers Mitch "You all come up here about the same age. You spend fifty weeks getting knots in your rope and you think two weeks up here will untie them for you. None of you get it." He pauses a minute and then he goes on, "You know what the secret to life is?" "No, what?" "One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that, and everything else don't mean nothing." "That's great," says Mitch, "but what's the one thing?" Curly looks at him for a minute, and says, "That's what you've got to figure out." Friends if you haven't figured out the "one thing" yet Alma wants to tell you. "And now, behold, I say unto you, And I would that ye should remember that God is merciful unto all who believe on His name; Therefore, he desireth in the first place that ye should believe, ye, even on his word." Alma 16:144 God wants you to believe on his word, it is his first place desire. The One who created you desires first of the many possible options that you would believe on His word.  Alma goes on writing that even if you can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you like a seed. If your "one thing" is God's "first place" desire for you, you can't go wrong. return to Parables for Today