Call isn’t necessarily something spectacular, like Superman or Batman.  Sometimes call is as quiet as the wind breezing past the summer leaves.  Sometimes it is the seemingly ordinary when others have grandiose calls.

Take, for instance, George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life.  George continues to find himself cemented to his hometown while his brother and others are called in other directions.  His brother goes to college, works outside of Bedford Falls, goes to war and becomes a war hero.  His friend Sam begins a plastics business.  Everyone lives the dreams that George himself could never had.  Because of the perspective that George has on his life, he takes for granted the little moments that create the universe.

George’s call is seen in life’s little moments.  George saves his brother.  George makes loans available to those who couldn’t otherwise afford a house.  George gives people ideas.  George loves the town and those in the town, willing to maintain an honest business for the good of the people.  George’s call is as important as everyone else around him except that the perception of his call is what the world sees as small.

What if George hadn’t answered those calls?  We see the outcome in the “what if George wasn’t born” portion of the movie.  His brother would have died.  The death of his brother rippled into the world.  Others would have died because hadn’t served in WWII.  His friends would live on the streets.  The town would have been bought by Mr. Potter and turned into the slums.  George’s mother and wife face the world with angst.

George Bailey was called to be alive and called to serve in Bedford Falls.

Just like George, everyone is called in both unique and ordinary ways.  The world would be a very different place if we made different decisions or if we had never been born.  Yes, we get frustrated with our lives.  We forget that the little steps impact the greater universe.  And we get upset with the track our lives are on.

So when we don’t feel that our lives make a difference or that we have a purpose here, know that we are all George Baileys – willing to take the little steps in front of us and building a better kingdom of God.