Day Thirteen

                     “I own the house! Me, Giuseppe Martini, I own my own house! No more we live like-a pigs in this Potter’s Field!”
                                                                 —Mr. Martini to a Bedford Falls neighbor

This amusing little scene shows the Martini family (along with their goat and a duck) moving out of the shack they rent from Henry Potter into a little house in Bailey Park—thanks to some help from the Bailey Bros. Building & Loan.  It symbolizes the fact that George has helped create a community in which human flourishing is possible.

            It’s a lovely moment—until Sam Wainwright arrives in his chauffeur-driven limosine with his fur-draped with.  Mrs. Wainwright suggests that the Baileys accompany them to Florida. George, of course, cannot afford such an expensive trip; he doesn’t make much money at the Building & Loan.  Fighting embarrassment, he tells Sam he can’t get away from work. 

            Five minutes after helping the Martini family move into their new home, it seems George has already forgotten what he has accomplished for the people of Bedford Falls—even though the evidence is right in front of him.  When his old friend drives off, all George sees is Sam’s expensive car headed for Florida. He completely misses the fact that surrounding Sam’s limousine are “dozens of the prettiest little homes you ever saw,” as Mr. Potter’s rent collector tells the old man.

            Why does George see only Sam’s car and not the housing development he played a key role in creating? It’s because he is still measuring the success of his life and work in the wrong way, in terms of dollars and cents.  It takes the angel Clarence to help George see how greatly his sacrifices have benefitted those who live in Bedford Falls—and how much more important those sacrifices are than a trip to Florida or a mink stole for his wife.  George’ presence in Bedford Falls allows its citizens to become the best versions of themselves.

            What are you and I doing to help our neighbors flourish? Are we helping to create a Bedford Falls—or a Pottersville?

            Living sacrificially means serving God wherever we are, using whatever skills he has given us. This might mean helping an elderly  neighbor repair broken windows, if we have that skill. Do we own a clothing store? If so, we might donate new clothes to someone just out of prison who is job-seeking.  If you are a hair stylist, you might offer free cuts to women and children living in shelters.

            Galations 6:9 says, “Let us not grow wearing of doing good.”  And Luke speaks approvingly of “a disciple named Tabitha” who “was always doing good and helping the poor.” (Acts 9:36)

            Do we see the value in what we accomplish for others—or are we unhappy, or ashamed, because we have fewer possessions than do our neighbors?

Prayer

Lord, open my eyes to the needs of my neighbors. Help me take a good look at my gifts, and how I might use them to serve others. Teach me to measure my success, not in terms of what the world worships, but in how much I am willing to cheerfully sacrifice for others.