Updated on February 26, 2011
A Very Special Christmas Blog
A Very Special Christmas Blog
One of my favorite holiday movies is It’s A Wonderful Life. I’ve probably watched it 50 times and it never grows old. If you’ve never seen it, or just forgot the story, it involves a man named George Bailey. Now George has always wanted to do great things. But throughout his life, circumstances have caused him to settle for what he believes is a less than a wonderful life.
The pivotal moment comes when he is faced with a financial loss that will destroy his business and family. As he sits on the bridge considering suicide, an angel named Clarence intercedes to save his life. Since George thinks he is a failure, Clarence gives him the opportunity to see what his community would be like if he had never been born.
The next several scenes reveal that his quaint little town of Bedford Falls has turned into Pottersville, a crime-ridden cesspool full of depressed drunks. At first, George thinks it a trick, but as he retraces his life he sees the impact he has had on so many lives.
For example, Harry, his kid brother who he saves as a child, is dead because George wasn’t there to save him. As a result, hundreds of sailors die when Harry is not there to shoot down the plane that was attacking their ship.
The repercussions of George’s absence ripple throughout the entire community. It becomes obvious that George has touched almost every life in Bedford Falls and he begins to realize the difference he has made.
In the closing scene, he prays to live again and returns home to find the entire 
community rallying to his rescue. If the final scene doesn’t bring tears of joy to your eyes, you aren’t human.
I bring this story up because like George, I have been up on that bridge a few times in my life. One of my angels was my mother, who on more than one occasion was compelled to wake up and enter God’s thrown room and pray for her son without knowing exactly what was happening in my life. But she would not stop until she had divine assurance that I was safe.
Statistics show that contrary to popular belief, there are not more suicides during the holidays. But this season can be depressing for some. It does seem ironic that on the night we celebrate God giving us His very best, demonstrating beyond any doubt His profound love for us, that anyone would consider their life a failure. But it does happen.
If you know someone that has experienced a loss of a loved one, divorce, financial hardship, or just having a tough time, make sure you let them know that they are loved, both by you and by God. Tell them the profound difference that they have made in your life and that the world is a much better place with them in it.
Just like Clarence helped George realize how important his life really was, you may make a difference in someone’s life. They may be standing on that bridge and the only angel they have is you. Give them the same gift that God gave us on that first Christmas over 2,000 years ago. Give them your love. There is no greater gift than this.
And please know that I love and appreciate all of you! You are all very special to me. Thanks for being my friend!
And I know its not PC, but….
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!
Originally published December 2006.
