There are people in this life that are shining examples of the one thing principle.  By that I mean this a single thing for which a person was built to be, to do, to fully inhabit.  The easy examples are athletes.  Joe Montana with a football in his hands.  The vast amount of skill with which he operated such that he made it seem easy.  So smooth and fluid the motions it was and still is obvious he was meant to fill that role.  So awesome and inspiring was the nature of his gifting that a world in which he did not find his way to football seems unthinkable.

Seeing film of Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Hank Aaron, Bret Farve, and many others playing their respective sport leaves the same impression.  Off the charts talent finding harmony with the path laid before them is what I am talking about here.  The each found a powerful union in the intersection of skill, talent, and opportunity.  To them it was just living in the harmony of their placement.  Most found humility in being able to be who they were and get paid to do it.

There are examples of outside of the area of sport for this principle.  Actors, scientists, mathematicians, statesmen, and warriors all have powerful examples.  From Tesla to Edison, Richard Burton to Clint Eastwood, Eisenhower to Patton, Rommel to Gudarian, Lincoln to Reagan, and beyond all prove this principle.

Some like Nietzsche would argue that this is an example of the superman principle.  And that is on some level a compelling argement.  It just does not match up with the witness of history or Biblical teaching on the subject.  To agree full with Nietzsche on this subject is a cop out, and it lets us all off the hook from this principle.

You see the Bible teaches us that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made.  Not some of us, not a select few of us, but all are made in this fashion.  And all of us are put here with something we are meant to do.  The Bible is clear on this point.  We all have a fundamental reason we are brought here.  

The sweep of human history is such that in the course of our lives there is something we were brought here to be, to do, to fully inhabit.  It might not be to be the winning quarterback in the super bowl.  It might not be the powerful warrior, president, scientist, actor, or athlete.  But there is always something.

It might be to be the positive influence in a person's life.  It might be as the father or mother of a fragile child.  It might be as the grandfather of a broken and battered grandchild.  It might be as the one that has the courage to say, 'Here I stand, I can do no other'.  Or as the one that asks, 'Who is this uncircumcised Philistine to defy the armies of the living God'?

There is without a doubt a something that has brought you to this precise moment in human history.  'For such a time as this', a quote spoken to a prophet to a queen several millennium ago applies to us all.  Great or small, we are all gifted in accordance with our calling.  Each of us is called to be about the something that brought us here.  Given the scant amount of time we are each granted and the fleeting nature of it, we need to get busy.


There are no small callings when comes to the one thing principle.  There are only small people that hide their talent in the earth to their shame and their something's detriment.  Its time, nay well passed time honestly to get busy and figure out our one thing and get hot about fulfilling our role in meeting the needs of that something.


I excuse no one, not even myself, in our indolence and self-indulgence on this point.  Our world needs us all to be positive participants in the process of making the one thing our absolute priority.  Let's roll...

Wednesday nights after work are always hectic, chaotic, and busy in the extreme for me.  From the moment I depart work until I lay my head on the pillow it s a hustle and hurry evening against the relentless clock.  I have to my children from the after school program, get home, scrounge up a meal, and get out the door by six fifteen.  It is as challenging as it difficult.

Invariably, something always gets in the way.  Either the work day does not run as smoothly as I would like, and I can't leave on time, or traffic is a toxic morass of accidents and slow drivers.  And as a result I become stressed which wears through my otherwise cherub-like demeanor, (sarcasm intended).  Stress for is always an unwelcome guest.  I do not like the person it makes me.  My mood, which is not good under the best of circumstances becomes foul.  I become irritated, short tempered, and otherwise a person even I don't like.

And on a recent Wednesday evening it was no different.  Traffic was running slow.  True to form for a typical Wednesday.  I was irritated behind the wheel watching the enemy steal precious minutes from me.  I was doing the math  in my head as to the impact on my schedule and it was not good.

And then the sea of traffic parted, and I maneuvered into the fast lane.  I could finally make up for lost time.  I put the hammer down, and was able to breathe a sigh of relief.  My schedule had been saved or salvaged at least.  Little did I know what fate had in store for me next.

As I was passing Easton on I-270 South, I noticed the car was fighting me and had a strong right pull.  As I started to investigate the problem, I felt a thump and no less than three dash board lights came on.  My initial guess was that I had lost a tire somehow.  From the strength of the pull and sluggish handling response, I figured it was the right front tire.

Now I know what is possible at these speeds.  And when dense traffic gets factored into it, I knew a deadly pinball game was one likely outcome.  I was at least five lanes from a good shoulder.  I knew the odds were not on my side.  I just had to try and hope for the best.

I switched on my hazard blinker, and began to slow down.  I expected the worst.  It did not happen.  A path between me and shoulder materialized out of nowhere.  I was able to carefully navigate my stricken Impala through the traffic without incident.  No one honked their displeasure.  No one gave me the finger for their trouble.

I was able to reach the shoulder and bring my car to a stop without further incident.  And as I sat there, I knew a few things for an absolute certainty.  I was alive and unharmed.  Things could have gone badly.  A million things could have gone wrong, but for reasons I don't know God's mercy, grace, provision, and protection appeared.

In such moments, I was thankful.  Sure my evening was wrecked.  My plans were shot for sure.  However that did not bother me.  I was around to have shot plans and a wrecked evening.  Even though I never feel worthy of the grace and mercy extended to me in such moments, I was thankful nonetheless.

I experienced a closeness with the divine in the confines of my car that overwhelmed with thankfulness and gratitude.  Even though that was a beginning of a difficult evening, I knew the worst of it was over.  There were insult to injury moments, disappointments along the way.  In the midst of it, I knew I was not alone.  I knew I had been and continued to be protected.  Learning that lesson was worth it.