It’s a Wonderful Life

I was in high school when I first saw the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. I watched it with my girlfriend, and we just watched it again with our children last night. A local theater had a showing, so we got to enjoy this masterpiece on the big screen.

I’ve identified with George Bailey since high school, I guess. Now, why is that? It’s an interesting question. Why do you like the movies you do? Probably because you can relate with a particular character. But why do you relate to that character; it’s worth answering that question.

George Bailey’s presenting problem is wanderlust. I, Mr. Klunick, do NOT have wanderlust, I assure you. But there’s always a problem beneath the problem. George Bailey and I have a similar problem there. He wanted to get away, not from his hometown, but from his massive responsibilities. He was the only person standing up to Mr. Potter in the town. He had to be on all the time. I feel that still to this day.

What does the movie offer as the answer to this problem? Well, you should have seen it coming: It’s a Wonderful Life. God has provided us with so much blessing in this life. Faith, friends, family, material goods. If we get too focused on the material goods, we’ll be contemplating suicide on a bridge outside of town.

Without fiction, we will just go through the motions all of our lives. Without Jesus, all the motions will be worthless. I’m grateful to movies like this one to remove me from myself. I start getting the stupid idea that the weight of the world does indeed rest on my shoulders. Praise God it doesn’t.

Apparently my life impacts others’ far more than I can imagine. That’s the message of the movie. And what a grace of God. He could do it all Himself, but instead, He uses sinners like us in His work on this earth. Praise His name.