The Legacy of Dying Broke

 

 

"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

Matthew 19:24 (NIV)

 

 

One of my failed attempts at humor is my response to the question, "What do you want done with your money after you are gone?" My response is, "What ever I have not spent, I want thrown in the casket with me - who says you can't take it with you?" In reality, that answer could not be further from the truth. You see, I really want to die broke.

 

Why would I say something like that? After working a good portion of my life, trying to build up a proper nest egg, why in the world would I want to die broke? I believe the answer is quite simple. And it is as old as time. We come into this world with nothing and we go out with nothing. It is what we do with our treasures between those two points that really matters.

 

This Thanksgiving for the first time, we sent $50 to a mission which serves the poor downtown. $50? Big deal. My wife and I can easily spend that much (and more) with a modest dinner out for us. But $50 for this mission was a big deal. It paid for the food to feed over 25 people. So rather than take that $50 and spend it on a night out for something we could have had at home, instead we gave it so people who were truly hungry could have a hot meal.

 

The reason I bring that story up is it gave me pause to think. What else could we do without that would impact people's lives who have little or nothing? The answer is quite a bit. I like to think of it as strategic benevolence. I say strategic as there are many, many charities out there who would really like your donations. Some of very good, some okay, and some should be run out of business as they are nothing but a sham. However, with the internet, there are many ways to vet charities to ensure they are what they say they are. Again, there are many charities which are as pure as the driven snow.

 

Like many of us, as I have aged I have thought more and more about legacy. How do I want to be remembered by my family? I believe it is not the material gifts I might leave behind - rather, I believe for my children my legacy will be the lessons from my heart. My heart is far from pure, so I am on a daily quest to align my heart more with what my faith has taught me. It is not an easy task.

 

I also want my legacy to be simply this - if I can ameliorate the suffering of one person for one day, I will feel good. However, if I have the resources to stop hunger, thirst, or disease for many days for many people, I need to do that. That is a calling I feel more and more every day.

 

One thing I learned in my mid-forties is this - all money is eventually meant to be spent. If you invest it, or save it, at some point the money will be used to buy goods or services. That is the purpose of money. It was never intended to hoard. It is a tool. A tool that can be used for good or evil. It is a tool that can change lives. It is a tool that I want to use more wisely each and every day. And when I draw my last breath, I will be able to die happy if I know the resources I have been so richly blessed with will continue to be used as a tool for good and honorable purposes.