In the Christmas classic movie, 鈥淚t鈥檚 A Wonderful Life鈥�, the lead character George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart, finds himself at the wrong end of a set of circumstances, with a vindictive businessman ready and willing to pounce and take him down.
In despair, he first went to a bar and cried as he prayed, knowing he was in deep trouble, and asked for help. He then made his way to the bridge in their town, and was considering whether he was worth more dead than alive, and was all ready to jump in and end it all when Clarence the angel jumped into the river instead.
Clarence (who hadn鈥檛 earned his wings yet) went on to show him that life isn鈥檛 that bad, and his in particular was actually a wonderful one, with a wife and kids, and a business that helped people out.
In short, life in the town of Bedford Falls was better for many people because George Bailey was in it, and was trying to make a difference.
Perhaps the movie over-exaggerated the breadth and scope of the impact of his life 鈥� but maybe not, if one considers how one action leads to another, and leads to another and so on, kind of like a ripple effect in the community.
In the end (spoiler alert), George Bailey and his family were able to have a merry Christmas, and were able to celebrate the good that his character was able to do in people鈥檚 lives. (And, of course, Clarence earned his wings.)
There are many positive aspects to the movie, not least of which is that a person needs to have a look at the big picture and not just focus on the short-term, immediate problem one may be facing in life.
Secondly, any such action as taking one鈥檚 life will have wide-ranging repercussions on many people, and I thought the movie did a good job in showing that one鈥檚 life touches many other people and affects many lives around them.
A person despairing of their circumstances may not always be able to see beyond what is immediately in front of them, and may need reminding of that fact.
Every person鈥檚 circumstances are different, of course, but it doesn鈥檛 hurt to take a step back and have a look at everything they鈥檝e done, and the good they can yet do for other people.
Christmas can be very difficult for some people, depending on their life鈥檚 circumstances, but some truths supercede all circumstances, such as the value of joy and peace, and the optimism of a new life. The power of love also can overcome a lot, and all of these and more can be found within the story of the first Christmas.
If it鈥檚 hard to find anything positive to focus on, call someone (a friend or a member of the Ministerial Association, or the CMHA) and talk about the feelings you鈥檙e having.m
