You Have a Wonderful Life
According to the American Film Institute (AFI), It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the greatest movies ever.
That’s high praise, especially for a movie that initially flopped at the box office when it was released in 1946.
For decades, this classic was dismissed and forgotten. It wasn’t until the 1970s that this movie came out of obscurity. Several TV companies took advantage of a clerical error, allowing them to broadcast broadly for cheap. The masses connected with its central message. And, like all good art, it eventually received the recognition it deserved.
But what makes this Christmas staple so evergreen?
Why does NBC continue to give it a time slot every single Christmas?
Because it tells the universal story of a man’s search for meaning.
It’s a Meaningful Life
You probably already know the story of George Bailey, a man with big dreams, hoping to see the world and then one day change the world as an architect.
But after the passing of his father, he reluctantly decides to remain in his hometown to run his father’s business, the Bedford Falls Building and Loan.
The turning point comes when Bailey’s uncle misplaces a large sum of money, putting the company on the brink of scandal and collapse.
In his despair, George Bailey finds himself on a bridge ready to end his life, believing that the world would be better if he had never been born.
Just then, Clarence, his angel, shows up and grants him his wish. He gets to see what his community would have looked like if he had never been born.
He learns that, without him, the local drunk never gets sober, his poor friend never gets a home, his wife never gets married, and his children are never born.
This vision convinces Bailey that his life does matter. What he was doing in the little town of Bedford Falls made a difference in the lives around him. His life had purpose.
Even before his circumstances changed, George was filled with joy and hope. He came to believe that he had a wonderful life because he had a meaningful life.
We’ve all been “on the bridge” at one time or another. We’ve all had moments of frustration because we feel stuck. Our lives don’t seem to turn out, and we can do nothing about it.
For me, that happened a little over a decade ago. I was leading a small, shaky congregation in Orlando. The ministry seemed to be floundering, and so was my family.
But before my circumstances changed, the Lord gave me eyes to see that my life was filled with meaning and purpose, even if things were not going how I wanted them to.
The same is true for you. You just need to look at your circumstances with a different lens. Sure, your life might not be going the way you wanted, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t working. He is using even your failures to create an eternally meaningful purpose in your life.
Even if you can’t see it, your life has already made a difference in the world around you. You already have a wonderful life because you have a meaningful life.
You need a Clarence
Over the past decade, I have studied the best of human psychology and Biblical theology.
Psychology shows that we need to see that our lives of have meaning to flourish.
Theology shows us where that meaning truly comes from—and why it lasts forever.
Let me help you see what George finally realized: You already have a wonderful life—because your life is filled with meaning.”
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