Well, welcome back to RISING 365, a podcast committed to inspiring and supporting others
to embrace the opportunity to rise with each new day.
I'm Mike Penney and I understand that Rising Daily can be a challenge for many because
it was for me for so long.
And I hope that what you hear in these episodes will assist you in rising every day of the
year.
We are at episode 33 and this is entitled, It Is a Wonderful Life.
We are in December and we're in full swing of Christmas movies, the Christmas spirit,
you know, radio channels that typically play rock or country have totally changed to nothing
but Christmas carols and songs.
And a lot of them are speaking to peace and joy and hope and love that comes with this
time of year.
There also means there's going to be a number of local Christmas shows and plays and I'm
currently in one here in Kearney, Nebraska with Crane River Theater and we're doing the
show It's a Wonderful Life.
And just the other night at rehearsal, the director Steve Barth before the show, when
we began rehearsing, he went around to individuals and said, hey, who enjoys the movie It's a
Wonderful Life?
And we all raised our hands, of course, because we're there to be in the show and why would
you do a show if you didn't enjoy the movie?
And then he went and he dug a little deeper and he asks, why do we like the show?
What is it about the show?
And people shared about the redemption, about hope, about people caring about you.
And ultimately, what I was thinking is the little things we do matter.
So if you're not familiar with this movie, press pause before you continue.
Go and Google It's a Wonderful Life.
Find it streaming.
You can find it streaming free anywhere and watch it.
And then think to yourself, man, you know, how am I looking at the life I'm living?
The main character, George Bailey here, he's got aspirations and talents and skills and
he desires to go out to do something for himself, to be more, to see the world and to travel.
And ultimately, he's in this small town, Bedford Falls, and he keeps finding himself feeling
stuck there because he sees the need for this family business that helps people to continue.
So he intercedes for others to have an opportunity to have a good life in their town.
But ultimately, he grows discontented when something happens where he has a breaking
point.
And some money goes missing and the thought of being a failure and scandal and stuff like
that overwhelms him to the point where he wants to take his own life.
Some good things have happened to him while he's been living in Bedford Falls and growing
up there.
You know, he married the woman of his dreams.
He's got kids and he's got a successful business.
He's not foraging and making him rich.
He loses sight and he gets overwhelmed by what his flesh desires compared to his reality.
And then there's someone that intercedes for him.
God is intervening.
And if you've listened to the past episodes, this is where it all happens.
This is where my belief that God is interceding into our lives, even when we don't know it.
So he sends George's guardian angel, Clarence.
Clarence intervenes by jumping into the river and George being a selfless person at heart
because the entire time you watch George, he's always looking out for others.
And what he intended to use to take his own life by jumping off this bridge and into this
freezing cold water and drowning, he jumps off the same bridge into the same freezing
cold water, risking his own life to save someone else's.
And then Clarence does the thing that George asked for in his desperate prayer of like,
he doesn't want to live anymore.
So he gives George a glimpse of what life would have been like if he wasn't alive.
No, George saved his brother when he was a little kid.
So there would have never been a Harry to go on and be a war hero and save people during
World War II.
George was an employee at the Gower drug store.
And if it wasn't for young George interceding for Mr. Gower during a time of him learning
his son had passed away from illness, Mr. Gower would have accidentally poisoned a family
and killed some kids and had to go into jail.
The love of his life would have never married and these things would have been different
in that town.
There's this antagonist, Mr. Potter, who wants and desires to own everything in this one
town and without George being there, who challenge him and to keep things out of Potter's hands.
Potter gets a hold of everything and he turns this happy little town into something desolate
full of debauchery and sin and a place people really have no hope.
When George begins to reflect on, even though I don't feel like I'm a celebrity and I'm
not trending on social media for us in our time, I still matter.
The smallest things that we do for others, opening car doors, leaving a bigger tip than
expected, being a listening ear and encouraging word or warm hug, a helping hand, those have
effects on people's lives even when we don't realize it.
As people were sharing why they liked that movie, I was George Bailey just a few years
ago in 2018.
I was three years removed from being in the military where I had some great success.
I moved up from the ranks and went from enlisted to an officer, flew planes and were a part
of some great missions where we interceded and rescued people from the world of human
trafficking.
I was a part of teams where we stopped drugs from coming into our country.
I was no longer a part of that and I lost who I was.
I was so lonely and almost took my own life.
I found myself standing on the I-80 bridge ready to jump off.
It wasn't for someone using discernment seeing me out there and pulling over and willing
to have a conversation with me.
The person actually asked for help who pulled over.
They were having some car troubles and ended up getting a flat tire.
As I'm standing on the edge of the rail ready to jump over the bridge onto the interstate,
someone pulls over and says, hey, can you help me with this flat tire?
Not knowing what he was interrupting me from, I'm still here today to bring you this episode
and being able to reflect on life, even the smallest things is a reason to keep going.
No matter what you are going through and coming out of and you're about to face, even though
this again is that month of everything's supposed to be full of joy and peace and hope and love
and all this other bushy stuff, sometimes it can be hard to feel that, to feel what
the carols are trying to express.
They were overwhelmed.
I want you to do me a favor.
I want you to take out a piece of paper and a pen and start jotting down all the little
things that you do.
Just jot down names of people in your life.
What do you guys do for each other?
Do you help somebody?
You meet once a week with an individual?
No, no, start.
You have the animals that bring you joy and peace.
Your favorite TV show.
Make a list.
See that you really do matter.
So for you who pressed play, thank you.
I want to wish you the best Merry Christmas and I hope that this episode that you realize
that what you are living, it is a wonderful life.
I hope every episode brings you inspiration to embrace every new day.
If you would like to support this podcast, consider booking me as a speaker for your
next conference, school assembly, youth event, Bible study, or any special occasion where
I can share the message of Rising 365.
It's super simple to arrange this.
You can message me.
You can send me an email at rising 24 7 365 at gmail.com.
Additionally you can support by liking and sharing and rating the podcast on your preferred
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365 name.
You matter.
You are loved and you are cared for even though you may not feel it.
So until we meet again, this is Mike Pena reminding you to rise and seize the gift of
the new day because you are destined for this moment.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you.
Live your wonderful life.