I finally watched 'It's a Wonderful Life' and my mom was right about one important thing

WATCH: Christmas carolers at airport sing praise of Jesus in faith-filled sendoff Christmas carolers sing 'O Holy Night' at an airport bustling with travelers. Believe it or not, but I just watched "It’s a Wonderful Life" all the way through for the first time. If you’re looking for a Christmas movie that reminds you what the holiday is actually about, this is the one. About 30 minutes in, my mom said, "This isn’t really a Christmas movie." At that point in the film, I agreed. There were no elves, lights or Christmas trees. MOM'S CHRISTIAN ADVENT TOY SELLS OUT COMPLETELY AS FAITH REVIVAL SWEEPS AMERICA The movie "It's a Wonderful Life," was produced and directed by Frank Capra. Seen here, James Stewart as George Bailey considering suicide. Premiered December 20, 1946; theatrical wide release January 7, 1947. Screen capture. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) Don’t get me wrong - I, the guy who wears a different wacky Christmas shirt every day in December - love that stuff and always will! But this movie has deeper meaning, and if my mom hadn’t fallen asleep shortly thereafter, I’m sure she would have agreed. The story of George Bailey is about gratitude for God’s blessings and learning to trust him, especially when life doesn’t go the way that you think it should. Humanity’s faltering trust in God during the many trials of the Old Testament revealed the need for what God had long promised: Jesus coming from heaven to the manger we see in our Christmas displays - to die for our sins, restore our relationship with God and renew our trust in his greater plan. ADVENT REMINDS US WHY JOSEPH’S FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE MATTERS IN THE CHRISTMAS STORY The film captures just how powerful that kind of trust can be. George was intelligent and ambitious, dreaming of traveling the world, building great things and escaping his small town. That life never came. Instead, duty kept him home: he took over his family’s modest community bank after his father’s death, put others’ needs ahead of his own and watched friends live out his dreams. Yet George and his happy-go-lucky wife, Mary, embraced the life they were given. They laughed a lot, raised their children to pray , treated everyone with love and respect and had immense gratitude for the home and family God had provided. GIVING TUESDAY REMINDS US THAT ALL GIFTS, SMALL AND LARGE, CAN CHANGE THE WORLD But the real test came when missing $8,000 at the bank gave George unwanted attention from a bank examiner, a journalist and even the police. In despair, he even contemplated ending his life. That’s when he turned to God. "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," he said. "I’m at the end of my rope." American actors James Stewart (1908-1997), as George Bailey, and Karolyn Grimes as his daughter Zuzu, in a scene from 'It's a...

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