Each and every Christmas that rolls around I watch “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the classic Jimmy Stewart movie about a man who becomes so despondent over the loss of $8,000 he wishes he had never been born. A good-hearted angel named Clarence grants his wish, and shows George how deeply his life impacted others by starkly bringing to shocking life how the world would actually be had he never been alive.

It’s not pretty. So many people who are important to George are profoundly impacted by his absence, including several who lost their lives. Finally, seeing just how much he actually does matter, George’s heart is changed. He asks God to live again and is returned to his life. He arrives home to find his entire community gathered to help him out of his bind.

It may sound simplistic, but if you’ve never watched it, and I don’t care who you are, you need to just take the 129 minutes required to do so. Bear with the beginning of it for a little while, and you’ll soon be hooked into the story and be better for the experience. I promise you will not regret it.

Every year I watch it, and every year I learn something new from it. Consider this — made in 1946, “It’s a Wonderful Life” is still ranked as the No. 1 Most Powerful Movie of All Time and the No. 1 Most Inspirational Movie of All Time by the American Film Institute.

Yes, it is that good.

There are some profound life lessons inside that little movie. With the new year of 2024 directly in front of us, I thought it might be prudent to again share some that have impacted me over the years:

You cannot run away from your problems.

Don’t wait to tell someone else you care.

Bitterness always backfires on those most bitter.

Surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you.

Life is not a bed of roses. There are thorns, but there are also beautiful blossoms among them.

The catalyst for true change is true humility.

Fame doesn’t equal success, nor does obscurity equal failure.

Lost dreams can be found opportunities.

Sometimes you just have to dance.

Life’s greatest adventures are rooted in people, not places or things.

When you are criticized always consider the source.

Wherever you are, bloom where you are planted..

Quiet lives often speak the loudest.

We help ourselves when we help others.

Celebrate the accomplishments of others.

Human beings respond to honorable examples.

Forget trying to keep up with the Joneses.

Focus on what might be, not on what is. Having something to look forward to keeps you alive.

High ideals are an honorable pursuit.

Self-pity will eventually smother you if you wallow in it long enough.

Vengeance is not yours, sayeth the Lord.

Any situation can be changed by changing perspective.

Long-term commitments reap deep-reaching rewards.

Actions speak far louder than any words.

Age doesn’t matter, but how you live each moment does.

The richest among us are not defined by how much money they have.

Nobody is a failure who has friends.

The world needs more sentimental hogwash.

God honors “childlike faith.”

Every human being makes mistakes. Learn from them, and move on.

Some flowers take longer to bloom than others, and all are beautiful in their own way.

Your life matters more than you may ever know.

Heartfelt, sincere prayer can change things — including you.

And finally, your life is a gift from God, but what you do with it is your gift to God.

Over the billions of years of the existence of our universe and through the entire history of man’s existence, there has never been another story quite like yours, and when the writing of yours is completed there will never be another one like it to come. If you stand back just a little and think about that lone fact, the significance of you becomes unquestionable.

It’s human nature to see others and believe that life’s a breeze for them. Make no mistake about this fact: we are all dragging a bag of junk behind us. Some bags are bigger than others, some are heavier than others — but we all have them. Some of us have just learned over time how to pull ours more efficiently.

The key there is to never stop pulling, and never stop doing all you can to keep that bag from stopping you from moving forward.

Go back through and read that list again. I can almost guarantee there are more than a few that will resonate inside your soul, and that the application of which could impact who and what you are in your daily walk — possibly profoundly.

If each and every one of us would do just that, what a difference would it make for every life. and who knows? If doing so might just make life a little more wonderful, then it will be well worth the effort.

Let’s raise a toast to our wonderful lives, and to a great 2024.