5 Lessons I Learned from George Bailey as a Non-Bestselling Author
Reflections on unseen impact, serving through story, and trusting God with the ending
It’s a Wonderful Life is one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies, but I also like to think of it as a New Year’s film. After all, the final scene features the protagonist, George Bailey, surrounded by friends and family as they sing “Auld Lang Syne.”
If you’ve never had the privilege of viewing this classic, there’s no time like the present. I prefer to watch it in its original black and white, though you can also watch it in an updated color version.
In my humble opinion, it’s impossible to watch this film without getting a little teary-eyed at the end. Even my husband (who never cries during movies) has to wipe his eyes during that final scene.
The story follows George Bailey, and George has big dreams. He wants to travel and see the world. To shake the dust of his boots and leave his small town of Bedford Falls behind. But, as we all know, big plans don’t always work out the way we, well . . . planned. Scripture reminds us in Proverbs 16:9: “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”
“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9
I’ve been in publishing since 2015 as both an author and an editor. Over my decade of experience in this industry, I’ve learned firsthand just how different reality can be from fantasy. If I were to have a conversation with baby author Sara Ella back in 2015, she might ask me things like, “Were we ever interviewed on The Today Show? Did we do a book tour in England? Which of our novels was on The New York Times bestsellers list?”
I’d have to pat her hand, smile, and break the news gently. “We never accomplished any of those original dreams,” I’d tell her. “But,” I’d say with a sly smile and a wink, “we’ve been blessed with so much more than we ever imagined!”
And that’s where I’d like to camp out on this final day of 2025. Many of you know and have experienced that this year was not all it was cracked up to be. Some of us might even say we are crawling out of 2025, just hoping and praying 2026 will be a smidge better.
I could certainly spend an entire post or even a series on all the ways 2025 did me wrong. But doing so would be to ignore the Lord’s sovereignty and hand in the good as well as the more difficult. So instead, I’d like to focus on 5 lessons I learned from George Bailey (“the richest man in town”) as a non-bestselling author.
Lesson 1: Staying Faithful Matters More Than Fame
Throughout the film, George Bailey shows himself to be a faithful friend, neighbor, husband, and father. He chooses what is right over what is easy. He protects Mr. Gower, saves his brother Harry from drowning, and steps in when his family and the entire town need him most. He chooses the people of Bedford Falls over his own honeymoon, making sure they have what they need amidst trying financial times. He keeps his father’s legacy and business alive for the good of the town, and he even takes the blame when his uncle misplaces a large sum of money, at risk to his own freedom.
Likewise, staying faithful to the Lord in our writing can present many challenges along the way. When we write from our worldview and convictions, we may find our stories don’t sell as well as we might have hoped. We might be tempted to write for the world, catering to what’s popular and selling or trending, rather than staying true to the story God has called us to.
George Bailey wanted his life to go a very different way in the beginning, but he stayed. He was faithful to the path that God set before him, even if it wasn’t the path he planned or hoped for.
I am not famous by any stretch of the word. My name is known among small Christian writing circles, but put me at a popular general market event, and not a soul knows who I am. They’ve never heard of me or my books. I have to fight for space in those instances and prove I belong among the authors who have become household names.
And yet, I wouldn’t trade my unknowness for anything because I know it’s where God has placed me. Faithfulness matters more than fame. Stay faithful to the Lord in your writing and career, and trust Him to do with it what He wills.
Lesson 2: Serving is the Picture of True Success
George reaches a certain point in his story, looks back on his life, and mistakes himself for a failure. He’s desperate to find an answer to help him out of the mess he’s found himself in.
But the truth is that anyone who has witnessed George and how he lives his life can see that he has a servant’s heart, and that alone has made him a successful man, maybe not in the world’s eyes (a.k.a the story’s villain, Mr. Potter), but certainly in the eyes of the Lord. George may not have the biggest house in town or even the most sophisticated career, but he’s dedicated his life to serving those he loves. He’s made sacrifices to help others get ahead. He’s chosen others above himself. George is a true example of Philippians 2:3–4.
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests,
but also to the interests of others.” – Philippians 2:3–4.
In the same way, as authors of faith, we have the unique calling to serve the Lord and others through the stories we tell. I have seven published novels under my belt, but I am not any closer to living solely off my writing than I was ten years ago. Even so, my success is not measured in dollar signs, but in the lives of the readers I have been privileged to touch. I’m grateful for every note, message, and heartfelt email that comes my way. When low numbers on quarterly statements tempt me to feel like a failure as an author, God reminds me that His version of success is defined in Scripture, not by sales or accolades on this earth that will eventually pass away.
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” – Colossians 3:24–24
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:19–21
Lesson 3: Unseen Impact is Sometimes the Greatest of All
You may never know all the lives you touch with your written words. Your number one reader may never leave a review. Your book may never be featured on an endcap at Barnes and Noble, and you may never be invited to speak at industry events or conferences.
But God sees you. He hears your prayer as you offer your story to Him. He knows your desires. And He already knows every reader who will ever be impacted by your stories, regardless of sales or reviews.
George Bailey wanted to end his own life at one point. He believed he had no impact, and as such, he thought it might be better if he had never been born. We all need a “Clarence” or guardian angel of sorts to remind us that sort of nonsense is a lie from the enemy.
Let the psalmist remind you of that today. In Psalm 139, we read that we are personally known by the Creator of Heaven and Earth. That He knitted us together—we are fearfully and wonderfully made! He wrote our days before we ever existed.
“For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.” – Psalm 139:13–14
You may not see the impact you make, but God does. He knows. Trust Him to put your stories in the right readers’ hands, and keep writing faithfully.
Lesson 4: Small Ministry is Still Ministry
George Bailey didn’t change the world (at least he didn’t see it this way at first). He saw his brother Harry as a true hero because he served in the military and saved whole herds of soldiers from certain death. But George was a hero in his own right. He didn’t change the world, but he did change his world. His ministry didn’t reach farther than the borders of his small town (or so he believed), but that didn’t make it any less of a ministry.
I am often asked for writing advice from authors who are just starting out. One thing I tell them before they ever land a contract or cash an advance check is this: “You will be someone’s favorite author. And that one person impacted is enough.”
If George hadn’t saved his brother Harry from drowning as a kid, Harry never would have gone on to save all those soldiers. So, in a way, George not only changed his world, he changed the world after all. Small ministry is still ministry. And you never truly know how far that ministry will reach or how many readers you will inspire or change. The knowing isn’t important. It’s the doing and trusting that matters.
Lesson 5: The Ending is God’s to Write
George Bailey thought he had a better plan than God. But the ending wasn’t George’s to write. He received the gift of a glimpse of what life would be like without him. And through that glimpse, he learned he’d been completely wrong. His life, his ministry, his impact, his faithfulness, and his servanthood did matter. It all mattered.
Your story matters too. Don’t give up. Don’t let the enemy convince you to quit when finishing that manuscript seems impossible. Don’t stop writing the story God has called you to, even if rejections pour in. God already knows the outcome and the timing. He’s written the ending. You are simply called to walk in His will and trust Him with the rest.
I am incredibly grateful for every reader who has taken a chance on my stories. I will likely never be a bestselling author. If I had known that ten years ago, would I have quit and chosen another profession? I can’t answer that. But today I can say I wouldn’t trade my “unsuccessful” (in the world’s eyes) career for another one. I don’t think George Bailey would trade the path he walked either. And I can only hope to be a little like him.
Looking back over the last ten years, I see my life as an author has truly been a wonderful one, ups and downs included. And while “Auld Lang Syne” may have us looking to the past (for old time’s sake), I prefer the lyrics of “All Glory Be to Christ” (sung to the same tune), as a hopeful outlook for the future.
And it is with those lyrics I sign off for 2025. May your new year be blessed and filled with the love and light of Christ. I look forward to serving you here on Substack in 2026 and through future stories, for the glory of God alone.
Should nothing of our efforts stand
No legacy survive
Unless the Lord does raise the house
In vain its builders strive
To you who boast tomorrow’s gain
Tell me what is your life
A mist that vanishes at dawn
All glory be to ChristAll glory be to Christ our King
All glory be to Christ
His rule and reign will ever sing
All glory be to ChristWritten by Kings Kaleidoscope
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