Life is hard.
I don’t think anyone who has had to face the trials and tragedies of adult life could argue with this point. And there are times when we feel so completely crushed by the world where every day seems like just moments between tragedies. These last few years particularly have been difficult dealing with things like breaking my back, my mother’s passing, and other various crises.
But at times like this, I like to think about one of my favorite movies of all time: It’s a Wonderful Life.
This Frank Capra classic was played constantly in many homes across the country last month. It has a reputation for being one of the great Christmas movies that leaves its audience feeling good and optimistic about life.
For those unfamiliar, George Bailey (played by the amazing Jimmy Stewart), is a man who wanted to see the world. But responsibilities in his hometown made that impossible. After a financial calamity that is not his fault, George could lose his business, his home, and his freedom. Then an angel comes and shows him what the world would have been like without him. George has the chance to see what an effect he had on the people of his community and the great good he brought to the world. He returns to his own world, full of joy and thankfulness over his life and the people of his community rally around him to bail him out financially.
The most important part of the story, in my humble opinion, is that when George comes back to this world, none of his problems have yet been solved. He still faces the loss of his business, his home, and his freedom. But he is filled with joy because he can see that even in the face of all of this tragedy, he still has a wonderful life.
And this is why I think this is one of the greatest and most profound movies ever made. It teaches us a very important lesson:
The quality of our lives often depend on our perspective, not our circumstances.
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