Is your life wonderful every moment of every day?
Dumb question, right? It’s no secret that pain and grief invade even the most
wonderful of days. Who among us hasn’t experienced times when we’ve imagined what life
would be like without us, or been convinced others would be better off if we’d never been born?
Such is the plight of George Bailey in It’s a
Wonderful Life. Threatened with bankruptcy, scandal and prison, compounded by
the words of his nemesis, “you’re worth more dead than alive,” George begins to
believe it. In George’s case, he actually gets a chance to find out what his
hometown would be like without him, thanks to a rooky angel named Clarence who
hopes to finally earn his wings.
The story contains some wonderful truths. The
prayers we immortals pray really do reach Heaven, and angels really do come to
our aid. However, the idea of us becoming angels after we die is fabricated.
The Bible draws a clear distinction between the two. Humans are humans and angels
are angels, with no need to earn their wings. The premise does make for some thought-provoking
and entertaining stories, though.
Does your life always feel like the incredible gift
that it is? It’s challenging to find the wonderful in life when it’s marred
with broken relationships, loss, unstable health, financial woes, the nightly
news, or even lousy weather. Isn’t it?
But what if the word “wonderful” literally means “full
of wonder?” If so, then it’s our own choice to discover wonder in any given moment,
if we open our eyes to it. Photographers are masters at this. My friends GayleLoewen and Stan Wiebe amaze me with their ability to find majesty in the minute
objects of nature or everyday life. A cloud formation which goes so easily
unseen is a masterpiece, if we but notice. A fall leaf, to the observant, is a
dazzling display of intricate design. And a ninety-year-old woman’s hands are
objects of great beauty when seen through the eyes of a thoughtful beholder.
Have you stopped to consider the workings of your
own eyes? Or how your heart beats nonstop for decades without your command or
awareness? Have you sliced into a fresh orange and marveled at its aroma, its
intricacies, its life-giving sustenance? What about the wonder of language or
reading? How can we look at black squiggles on a white page and from them become
informed, inspired, or so engrossed in a story we’re unaware of the passing of
time?
Life is beautiful. Life is hard. Both statements are
true. I believe the wonder-filled moments we enjoy in this life are a tiny
taste of what awaits us in the life beyond this—where the truly wonderful is
yet to come.
You might think you wouldn’t be missed had you not
been born. After all, someone can’t miss what they never had. But Psalm 139
tells us your Creator spread all the stages of your life before him, the days
of your life all prepared before you’d even lived one day. The God of the
universe would miss you! And I think that’s pretty wonderful.
The Friday and Saturday dinner theatre tickets are
no longer available, but if you’re reading this on Thursday, November 13, you
still have a chance to see the Prairie Prairies’ performance of It’s a
Wonderful Life tonight at 8:00 at the William Glesby Centre. $15 will buy you
a ticket, rush seating.
Enjoy the story. Be inspired. And embrace your
wonderful life.
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| A scene from the Prairie Players production of It's a Wonderful Life: A Radio Play |
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