Every one of us is leaving a legacy to those who come after us. It’s a truth that has been burned into my mind from the days when my three sons were young, over two decades ago. I have made that my focus as a business leader, a financial advisor, and most importantly, as a father.
A legacy is a tricky thing. At eventful times in our lives, we are overwhelmingly aware of the fact that we will be remembered. When the doctor lays that first child in our arms, the gravity of parenthood and lifelong responsibility is immense. A life of milestones happens to each of us after that, from births to graduations to marriages, from new jobs to promotions to awards, from that first apartment to the house of our dreams.
Along the way, it is easy to forget that each day we put another stone in place in the tower of our legacy.
I have always believed that a huge part of the legacy we leave will be our children. We want them to grow up to be strong men and women of God. To be leaders. Good husbands or wives. Good fathers or mothers. The things that we do should build those qualities into them. At the same time, we need to practice the qualities that our children should want to emulate. More is really caught than taught. What are my children catching about giving?
If I practice the grace of generous giving, my legacy will flow far beyond me, building stones into that tower that I might never see in this life. And in so doing, my children should carry on this charge. I give, knowing that my time on earth – and my opportunity to give – is short. I give sacrificially, knowing that my small sacrifice can be multiplied by God to reach many for his kingdom. I give so my children can see that it is a priority to me, and that they, too, can leave a legacy that goes as far as sharing the light of God with unreached people they might never meet on earth.
And I give knowing that my biggest legacy just might be the faces that I see in Heaven who are there because I gave.
As you consider the legacy that you are establishing, ask yourself,
Do my family and friends see that Great Commission giving is a priority to me?
Will the eternal lives of those who are now unreached be different because of what I chose to do today?
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21
Written by Russ Crosson
