It’s a wonderful life

Let no one say we are worthless. He is not a foolish spectator, and would never invest in worthless property. – Erwin W. Lutzer

Find a few hours this week to watch the video of It’s a Wonderful Life. Pop some corn and settle in, but before you hit Play, reflect on this. A few typed pages written as a Christmas card in 1954, found its way to Frank Capra. The story takes place in a small town, where an average man feels that success passed him by. When disaster strikes, he wishes he’d never been born. A guardian angel arrives and helps him see that he has everything truly valuable in life right before him. What an idea!

Acclaimed by critics and the public, the movie made little profit and was soon forgotten, until years later when it became a beloved family classic. Why? In a gushy, sentimental way, It’s a Wonderful Life mirrors our own doubts, loss of faith, and the mistaken wish, if only I was somebody else. As George wrestles with it all, Mary Bailey is gentle and supportive, but when things get desperate, she takes control and brings about the miracle they need.

Have you ever slipped into a George Bailey moment – pulled from side to side, disheartened, resentful. No matter how hard you toil, things happen to push your dreams out of your reach? That’s the time to savor a Clarence-the- Angel moment. Clarence represents the Heavenly Voice that listens patiently to our complaints and then reminds us of the real essentials – supportive friends and family who are always eager for you to know how irreplaceable you are to them.

Life doesn’t always provide perfect happy endings, but we need this movie’s message. Accept who you are, what you have been given, and the blessing you’ve been to others.