"I been savin' this money for a divorce, if ever I got a husband."
- Annie, upon giving up her money toward helping George Bailey
George begins to pay dividends upon choosing to stay in Bedford Falls and run his father's company 'The Building and Loan' as he sees the business prosper. That is until Christmas Eve when Uncle Billy misplaces an $8,000 dollar deposit which falls directly into the hands of the evil Mr. Potter.
When George fails to find the money while retracing Uncle Billy's steps to the bank, fear begins to settle within him. George finds himself in such a dilemma he would land himself at the office of Mr. Potter begging for a loan to replace the missing Building and Loan money. George suddenly realizes what he's done, crawling himself to beg at the knees of the one man he distrusted and disliked the most.
"You sit around here and you spin your little webs and you think the whole world revolves around you and your money. Well, it doesn't Mr. Potter. In the whole vast configuration of things, I'd say you were nothing but a scurvy little spider!
If you know the story here is where George begins to have second thoughts and doubts of his life and the choices he's made. It is where George begins to finally seek for help from the One person he should have in the first place.
"Dear Father in heaven, I'm not a praying man, but if you're up there and you can hear me, show me the way...show me the way."
George realizes he is worth more dead then alive with his life insurance policy, as he thinks about Mary and the kids. George Bailey is about to jump off the bridge when down from heaven comes Clarence the Angel to save George and renew his life in a dramatic way.
Clarence decides to show George how life would be like if he had never been born, a chance for him to see the world without him in it. He shows George Bailey: his brother Harry drowning as a child, his wife Mary becoming an old maid, no more Building and Loan and everyone living in the slums of Potterville.
George realizes through this trip back in time with Clarence the Angel just how much his life touched others and made an impact in the entire town of Bedford Falls.
"Help me, Clarence, help me. I want to live again!"
When Clarence the Angel brings George back to reality, George suddenly has a different view of his life as Clarence reminds him,
"You see, George, you've really had a wonderful life. Don't you see what a mistake it would be to throw it away?"
George excitedly runs home with a renewed outlook on life while he runs through the town of Bedford Falls wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. At home is Mary and a crowd of friends gathered to support George Bailey in his time of need. As we are reminded,
"No man is a failure who has friends."
And of course, Clarence the Angel finally gets his wings for helping George Bailey.
Sometimes in life we don't acquire a thankful heart until we have been challenged like George Bailey. Whether it's with our health, our finances, our home and family, we truly don't know what we have until something comes along to challenge us. Just like George Bailey all it takes is a simple cry for help and God will answer. And if you look closely, it may even be in the form of an angel.
No comments:
Post a Comment