It Really Is A Wonderful Life

"Remember no man is a failure who has friends."
- Clarence Oddbody, AS2


Few things go along with Christmas as well as the movie It's A Wonderful Life. Growing up as a kid, I probably watched this movie hundreds of times. Unlike today, when I was young, this movie played NON-STOP during the month of December. At any given time, on just about any day, you could find the movie on television multiple times. Depending on the channel you chose, you could often even pick up the movie at your favorite point. You could see it in black and white, or colorized. You could watch it from the beginning, or just watch your favorite scene. It was the quintessential "Christmas Classic".

To this day, my friends and I can still quote entire sections of the movie verbatim, while doing a decent Jimmy Stewart impersonation. It is one of those cultural phenomenons that almost everyone is familiar with and if you have not seen at least part of this movie, it is quite possible that you have been living under a rock for most of your life. This is still a movie I make time to watch during this season, and it is something I am now sharing with my children.

While very familiar, there is a little different perspective that comes with watching it now. There are messages, and themes that I understand better now than I did when I was a kid. Just a few weeks ago, I was driving my daughter to swim team (a frequent occurrence in our household) and she asked to watch this movie, so I put it on the van speakers, and listened as we drove. We came to the part of the movie when George finds his life in the midst of crisis, and something "clicked" with me in a different way than it had before.


George Bailey, the man who had spent his entire life putting others first, and helping others, had finally reached his limit. Faced with the prospect of going to jail, of losing his family and everything he had worked for, he found himself on the side of a bridge, looking down, and considering killing himself. Enter the angel Clarence with a splash. George saves him, and once again begins to wallow in self-pity. It is at this point, Clarence has an idea - show George what life would be like without him.

Now keep in mind. George is not some great leader. He has not done great things (at least according to the world's standards). He does not have a fortune. He is not even the most powerful man in his little town of Bedford Falls. He is a simple man, of a simple life. As George stumbles around town, from one encounter to the next, he is confused and unsure of what is happening. As he meets person after person that he knows, none have any recollection of him. After a heart breaking walk through his abandoned house, and a bitter encounter with his mother, he finds himself at his brother's grave (the one he had saved as a boy). As he argues with Clarence about how this could not possibly have happened, Clarence simply and quietly says, "You really did have a wonderful life, George. Don't you see what a mistake it would be to throw it all away?" And in that one simple line, the entire movie's message is revealed. George had to see that his life had not been meaningless; it had not been wasted. He had not "thrown it away" by his actions, but was making a difference, and making an impact.

As I heard that line driving down the interstate, one I had heard a hundred times, it made me stop and consider my life. Am I treasuring life, and each opportunity as I should? Am I "throwing my life away" through simple neglect - not taking the time for the things I should? Am I wasting and missing opportunities simply because I am not recognizing them for what they are? Am I letting avenues of impact go by, and in the process missing out on something wonderful for myself and others? George had to see that even the small things in his life had made a difference, and we have to see that too. He had to see that these things added up to something wonderful. While not the great man he hoped to be, he was a great man in a way that was much more important.

George had to see that every instance, even the things he thought insignificant, had an impact, and when he did, he realized what a truly wonderful life he had. We have to see the same thing. We have the opportunity in every instance of the day to impact and make a difference, and we need to be sure that we are not "throwing away" these little life moments. For it is often in these "insignificant instances", that differences are made. It is these little times that make up our "Wonderful Life". Be sure not to miss them, or throw them away by letting them pass you by, for they will never come again. Treasure the journey, and each moment, for we each really do have a "Wonderful Life".