What Would the World Be Like Without You?

“Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.”

Clarence the angel “It’s a Wonderful Life”, Frank Capra, based on the short story “The Greatest Gift”, Philip Van Doran Stern.

One of my favorite Christmas stories is “It’s a Wonderful Life”, which features Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed plus an excellent cast.  It tells the story of a young man whose sacrifices epitomized his life.

The story opens with George Bailey as a boy, playing with his brother and friends.  Winter weather turned an ordinary hill into a great place to sled and an opportunity for boys to expend their energy.

When George’s younger brother, Harry, breaks through the ice on his sled run and falls into the freezing water, the boys make a chain to rescue him.  George fell in the water with his brother, but in the end, Harry was rescued and everyone was safe.  George lost his hearing in one ear from his effort, but that was a small consequence compared to saving Harry.

Confronted Once Again

Back at work as a soda jerk, George is confronted once again with a choice to step in and do what is right.  When his boss, Mr. Gower, the pharmacist, learns his son has been killed, he drinks heavily, numbing the pain, but continues filling prescriptions.

In his distressed physical and emotional state, Mr. Gower, accidentally fills a prescription for a child with poison, instead of the medicine that was needed.  George catches the mistake but suffers the wrath of a drunken, Mr. Gower, until he is able to explain the problem.

Life is What Happens While You Are Busy Making Plans

You have heard that life is what happens while you are busy making plans?  I think George Bailey must have started that saying.  All through his life, George sacrifices his own plans to do what is right for others.

George wanted to leave the little town he lived in, go to college and travel the world.  When his father, who owns and runs the Bailey Building and Loan, passes away unexpectedly, George postpones his dream of leaving.  Giving the money he had saved for college to his brother, Harry, George hopes to settle the business and leave when his brother graduates and comes home to take over.

That plan too, is thwarted as Harry comes home with a new wife and amazing work opportunity from his father-in-law.

Breaking Point

The frustrated young man finally marries a childhood friend, but as they prepare to leave on their honeymoon, a financial collapse and run on the bank forces George to stay and take care of business which included using all of the money he had saved for his honeymoon.

It isn’t until a substantial amount of the Building and Loan’s money is lost, that George hits his breaking point.  Certain that financial ruin, prison time and the ensuing scandal would ruin his family, George goes on a binge and begins to think that life is hopeless.

Worth More Dead Than Alive

Seeking out his nemesis, the miserly Mr. Potter, magnificently played by Lionel Barrymore, his plea for help is rejected, then observed that George is worth more dead than alive.  That thought drives troubled George Bailey, to the bridge overlooking the icy water below, pondering the thought of jumping to his death and throwing his life away.

It is at this point that Clarence the angel, arrives to rescue George.  He jumps in the water before George can.  You see, Clarence knew that George cared too much for other people.  He had watched George’s life unfold and knew that if George saw a person in trouble, he would do everything in his power to help.  So, Clarence jumped in the water first, to give George a reason to live.

Once both men were out of the water, it was clear that despair had a hold on George.  The kindly angel, Clarence, ponders what solution might benefit the troubled young man.

Clarence’s Hope

His solution?  Give George a chance to see what the world would be like as if he had never been born.  It was Clarence’s hope that George would begin to see how important he was to the people around him.

At first, George was slow to believe that what was happening to him was real, but one by one, the changes could not be denied.  When all of his family and friends deny knowing him, it is too much for George.  He is ready to go back to his life no matter the consequences.

Fortunately for George, everything works out.  He returns to his family and faces the crisis, but the community and his friends come to aid George in his trial and raise enough money to save him from being arrested.

A Question That Each of Us can Ponder

“It’s a Wonderful Life” is just a story, but it is a good story.  And it poses a question that each of us can ponder.  What would the world be like without you?

The voice of the world and the enemy of all mankind might tell you that you are worth more dead than alive.  It might also tell you that the world would be better off without you.  You might hear that you aren’t valuable.  But that just wouldn’t be true.

Each person inherently has the ability to make a difference.  Think about it.  Have you ever made someone smile or laugh or just feel good?  Have you ever helped someone in a tight spot?  How about simply taking the time to listen to another?

A Deep Need to Connect With Other Human Beings

Years ago, I worked as a volunteer in children’s ministry and I learned that kids spell the world, love, T-I-M-E.  Even as adults, we still value the time people spend with us.  It is the sacrifice of time we make that fills the need for relational connection.  Each of us has been created with a deep need to connect with other human beings.

Of course, we will never know the real impact we have had on the world around us.  But, if I use the story of George Bailey as a guide, then I begin to understand that the impact each person makes is greater than we could ever realize.

To bring my point home, it’s not about making a tally of all of your accomplishments with your fellow human beings, but it is a reminder that you are unique and irreplaceable.  There is no one like you and your fellow eternal travelers would be worse off without you.