Benefits of Giving - #9 Great Legacy

My father was a wise and successful businessman.  At his level of business he associated with the elites of the corporate world (not the celebrity level, like Gates, but somewhere just below it).  Due to God’s blessing and for God’s glory, my father finished his corporate endeavors by managing several major business turnarounds and creating a large amount of wealth.  At the same time, my father made a commitment to give a significant part of what he made to charity.  

This is where we run into the Inheritance benefit of giving.  My father died a little early as far as I am concerned, but by the time he died, millions of people were impacted by his giving.  Orphanages, medical facilities, feeding programs, educational programs and more were part of the impact that his life produced through giving.  It was fantastic - a dirt poor boy from the U.S. Depression years turned into the funnel of such wondrous benefit and impact on lives around the world.

The ironic thing is, my father’s life of 69 years, with all its incredible events, tremendous providence and amazing successes in business, was celebrated in memorial primarily for its final 10 years - the years of exponential giving and impact.  Experiencing this truth has shown me that the legacy of a person’s giving is significantly greater than the legacy founded in their accomplishments.  No, there is no Des Toal day.  But there are literally millions of human beings around this globe that have been touched by the blessing poured out on his life.  That is legacy, and that legacy won’t fade away.

Interested in legacy?  Start one by giving your Mite today!