It Really is a Wonderful Life

Yes, you read that title correctly (I'm not always a grump). We sat down to watch the 1946 Frank Capra classic Sunday night, to relive the tale of a man who consistently made choices that involved the sacrifice of his wants and dreams so that others might achieve theirs. Not that he didn't carry some resentment and bitterness, of course. So many of us trudge through life carrying the weight of real or perceived responsibilities that affect our countenance and perspective in a negative fashion. Indeed, apparently I have acquired a minor reputation as one who infrequently smiles in candid moments, at least as far as Facebook is concerned. (As I'm not on Facebook to defend myself, I'll let that one go as probably earned). George Bailey, of course, is the recipient of a new outlook on his life after his experience in an alternate universe - a world in which he had never been born.

While the bulk of the movie takes on a moderately serious and dramatic tone, I caught myself laughing out loud at the "Mary in the shrubbery" scene sans robe, which had fallen off (thanks to George) on the way home from the graduation party. I couldn't find the scene on YouTube, but imagine Jimmy Stewart demonstratively playing up this dialogue:

George (with a smile spreading over his face): This is a very interesting situation!

Mary: Throw me my robe!

George: A man doesn't find himself in a situation like this every day ...

Mary: Shame on you! I'll tell your mother!

George (thoughtfully): My mother's way up on the corner there ...

Mary: I'll call the police!

George (still thoughtfully): They're way downtown ... anyway, they'd be on my side.

Yeah, it would be better with a video clip. At any rate, as many times as I've seen it, it didn't really sink in until this viewing that the only reason George ever found himself contemplating a jump off the bridge was based on a misguided notion that he was "worth" more dead than alive. In his conscious mind, he was thinking that the life insurance policy would take care of the lost bank payment, although subconsciously he was surely seeking an escape from a life he viewed as cruel and harsh (a product of his bitterness). Of course, when he learns that his absence in fact seemed to hurt those he loved the most, he realized that his life, with all its ups and downs, was indeed a wonderful blessing. And that the people he had touched over the years, without even realizing it, were demonstrating a principle found in the Scriptures: simply, that we are called to "bear fruit." Like some strange metaphysical uncertainty principle, we rarely know or see the impact we have on the people around us. Sometimes, there is testimony from those whose lives are affected, but often, the connection passes unnoticed.

As for me, I genuinely am not one to spend a great deal of time regretting past choices, or wishing I had made different choices. Seriously. For despite the fact that I have certainly made poor decisions, I view it as a waste of energy to pine for something that isn't, or can no longer be. Quite the contrary, if I am consumed with anything, it is dealing with the "next choice" I have to make - weighing the options, pros and cons, and fighting the temptation to slip into analysis paralysis. To be sure, I can be pretty decisive, but rarely am I impulsive. It's just the way I tick, I suppose. For those major life choices, I am overwhelmingly satisfied with the decisions I've made: for Christ and my wife. All the rest are outflows. The closest I've ever come to "regret" for a major life course involved the decision to forego military service, and the pursuit of engineering as a vocation rather than teaching (a realization I didn't experience until the degree was almost in hand). Still, I don't dwell on those decisions, for if I had chosen otherwise, I simply would not be where I am right now - in my walk with Christ, married to my soul mate, and father to my boys. In the grand scheme of things, we all have the opportunity to make a difference in this wonderful life - no matter our circumstances. We make a difference because we choose to do so. We may not be able to see the ripple effects, but to be sure, they are there. Best that we make the effects positive, though, rather than negative. So may we choose well, and that joyfully.

Coming in a couple of days: It's time for some Irving Berlin. Snow, snow, snow, snow, SNOW!