Does Your Being Here Make a Difference?
Did you watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” this past Christmas? I watch it every year because it’s one of my favorite movies and because I think it has something important to say. This 1946 Frank Capra classic tells the story of George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart, who is given a wonderful gift – the opportunity to see what life in his hometown would be like if he had never been born.
I was having dinner recently with a friend of mine when our conversation took a similar turn. “We all like to think that our lives count for something; that we’re making a positive difference in the world by the things that we do and the way that we live our lives,” she said. “But are we really having much impact? If you and I had never been born, would this community be worse off for our not being here?”
It’s an intriguing question and one that really makes me think. The work that I do here at Metro United Way, the volunteering I do for my church and in the community, the way I interact with the people I come in contact with, the choices that I make – I like to think that it makes my little corner of the world a better place. But I know there’s more I can do that I haven’t done. I identify with Meg Ryan’s character in “You’ve Got Mail” when she says, “Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Small but valuable. And sometimes I wonder do I do it because I like it, or because I haven’t been brave?”
What would this community look like if we dared to be brave? Are we ready to be audacious and do whatever it takes to truly make our community the very best it can be? We can’t do it without you. As Clarence the angel says to George Bailey, “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole.”
Don’t let there be a hole where your influence and impact ought to be.
