Merry Christmas George Bailey!


"Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends." — Clarence, "It's A Wonderful Life"

Like so many others, I watched "It's A Wonderful Life" this Christmas. It's a timeless tale, authored in 1946 by Frank Capra, that reminds us of what's really important in life. And this is the perfect time of year to remember that, too.

My mother-in-law has a plaque on her wall that says the most precious things in life aren't things. Beside it is a picture of her children and grandchildren. It's a reminder of the connections in life, and how important they are. The people we touch and interact with are the most important.

During his Christmas sermon last night, Pastor Graham read a quote from C.S. Lewis about us never having met a mere mortal. There is nothing mere about people in your life, they are precious gifts from God. But sometimes we forget that. Sometimes we forget the role we play in all their lives, too.

Clarence, when showing George Bailey what the world would have been like without him, muses, "Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" The ripple of life without George Bailey was devastating. This is the idea conveyed in another movie of a different sort, "Cloud Atlas," which ponders the connections between us all through time.

The point is people matter. The people they touch matter. And the connections we make, keep, build up, and tear down in this life matter. Those connections matter more than things and material goods.

George Bailey lost sight of that and nearly lost his way. He was focused on his job, money, and material things, and nearly went off track. He had Clarence to shine a light. We aren't all that lucky, but we all have connections that matter.

Christmas is a time to celebrate those connections, the love in our lives, and the things that really matter. No matter what you got wrapped under the tree, it pales in comparison to the person that cared enough to put it there in the first place. When you remember that, like George Bailey, you will be the richest person in the world.

Merry Christmas!

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