Is It Really a Wonderful Life?
The message and lessons of the classic Jimmy Stewart film can only take us so far.
Every Christmas season, we gather around the TV with loved ones and put on our favorite Christmas movies. There’s an impressive list of classic films that tell great stories about Christmas. From oldies like Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas,” to the comedies we all love like “Santa Claus” and “Home Alone,” there’s a Christmas movie for everyone.
But there’s one film—one story—that stands above the rest: Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
The movie is great for many reasons. It includes stars Jimmy Stewart (George Bailey) and Donna Reed (Mary Hatch Bailey) whose acting helps a great script become a classic film. The movie premiered in 1946, just one year after the end of World War II, and the war and other historical events like the Great Depression were written expertly into the script. And best of all, it’s a Christmas movie.
But “It’s a Wonderful Life” isn’t just good entertainment. It does what all great films must do—it uses fiction to make you reflect on reality.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” makes you reflect on the reality of life itself and consider even the darkest of ways to escape that reality. George’s pivotal moment comes when he stands on a bridge over icy water contemplating whether it would be better had he never been born. Of course, the movie doesn’t end here with him plunging to his death.
As most Christmas movies go (spoiler here), the main character overcomes his challenge and lives happily ever after with his beautiful wife and family.
But what about when life doesn’t seem to go that way? Is life still wonderful when the main character doesn’t reunite with his family? What about when he doesn’t have a sweet, happy family to begin with? Is it a wonderful life when disease, depression, and death wreak havoc on the people you love and even come after you?
The message and lessons of the classic Jimmy Stewart film can only take us so far. To some, even the darkest points of “It’s a Wonderful Life” could seem like a vacation away from the pain of reality.
How can life be wonderful if it’s so messed up? How can life be wonderful when our trials outweigh our pleasures? The writer of Ecclesiastes might be able to help us answer that question.
Most of Ecclesiastes focuses on the vanity of life and the certainty of death—even the pleasure life offers is meaningless when considered with the reality of eternity. To the preacher of Ecclesiastes, life was not wonderful—or so it would seem.
Ecclesiastes also gives us hope that life can be wonderful. The preacher writes, “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other” (7:14). Ecclesiastes doesn’t hide that life gives us hard times—life sometimes isn’t wonderful. But it also gives us someone to trust when life isn’t good and someone to praise when blessings pour out on us.
The preacher closes his book writing, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil,” (12:13-14).
Scripture doesn’t tell us that life will always be wonderful, but it does give us a purpose and reason to live this life and give thanks for the wonderful moments we get.
The truth is, life isn’t always wonderful, but because we can trust and serve the God who rules over it, we can still agree with Capra’s classic Christmas film. It truly is a wonderful life.
*Photo taken from Brittanica.com, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Its-a-Wonderful-Life
Nice Job Zach. Proud to know you brother