Legacy: Much More Than an Inheritance

Recently I engaged in a discussion with a group of friends about what it means to leave a legacy. One person asked about the difference between a legacy and an inheritance. This prompted me to do a bit of research, uncovering four words that have related but distinctly different meanings.

The first is heredity, which is the passing on genetically of physical and/or mental traits or characteristics from one generation to the next. We have virtually no control over this, other than perhaps choosing the mate with whom we will have children. In terms of our genes, we’re a product of what our parents pass along to us physiologically.

 

The second is heritage, the unique culture, traditions, language and other social attributes shared by a particular society or group of people. This might include nationality, but it also relates to the specific environment in which we live and grow up. The folks I was speaking with all were Korean-Americans, so in some respects their heritage was very different from my Hungarian-American background.

 

Third on the list is inheritance, sometimes used interchangeably with legacy, but the terms definitely don’t mean the same thing. An inheritance is something you give or leave to an individual or group of people, something of material value, usually money or tangible possessions. It can be invested and increase in value over time, but it also can be squandered and easily lost.

 

Lastly, we have Legacy. An inheritance might be part of one’s legacy, but there’s much more to leaving a positive, enduring legacy than bestowing one’s earthly possessions to heirs. I would compare one’s legacy to the impact of a pebble or rock into a pond, creating outward-radiating ripples. Some rocks cause greater ripples than others – and it’s the same with legacies. Some radiate farther and for a longer time.

 

Years ago, I worked with a non-profit called Leaders Legacy which followed the motto, “Developing Great Leaders That Develop Great Leaders.” Our conviction was that the mark of a truly effective leader is not what happens while he or she is present, but what remains after they’re gone, whether that’s due to changing jobs, retirement or death.

 

If an enterprise or its mission continues to thrive and even grow after the founder leaves, that individual has left a meaningful, enduring legacy. However, if the company and its work collapse like a house of cards once the leader is gone, that’s not much of a legacy.

 

In looking for an example of a positive, enduring legacy, Chick-fil-A would be a good place to start. Years ago, I had the opportunity to interview the company’s founder, Truett Cathy. I remember him saying that when he started the business in Hapeville, Georgia, they regularly closed on Sundays. He quipped, “It’s not that we were all that religious, but that we were all that tired.”

 

Cathy passed away in 2014, but Chick-fil-A continues to be one of the most popular, well-respected food service businesses in the world. Their reputation for quality food, concern for customers, treatment of employees and overall philosophy and values remains strong. This is what leaving a positive, lasting legacy is all about.

 

But we don’t have to be a Truett Cathy, a wealthy philanthropist, inventor or groundbreaking scientist to establish an enduring, even eternal legacy. If we’re parents, we can endeavor to raise children of good character, who are hard-working, responsible, grow to love the Lord and use their gifts and talents to serve Him and others. We also can invest in the lives of others in a number of different ways, always seeking to represent Christ and point them to Him.

 

In 2 Timothy 2:2, the apostle Paul described what an eternal, multi-generational legacy can look like. He exhorted his young protégé, Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” That’s four generations of people – Paul, Timothy, “reliable men” and “others” – following Jesus and endeavoring to introduce Him to others. You think that would make a difference?

 

One of my favorite people in the Bible is Barnabas. After the conversion of Saul, the zealous Pharisee who had devoted his life to persecuting Jesus’ followers, we’re told, “When [Paul] came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles…” (Acts 9:26-27). 

 

Everyone else wanted nothing to do with the one-time enemy of the faith. Barnabas risked his reputation, getting to know Saul and learning the story of his life-altering encounter with Christ enroute to Damascus, and stood up for him. This “Saul,” of course, became the apostle Paul, who not only became an early Church leader but also penned much of the New Testament.

 

Barnabas’ story doesn’t end there. After accompanying Paul on several missionary journeys, serving as his spiritual mentor, the two had a serious disagreement about John Mark, who had abandoned Paul and Barnabas during one of their earlier journeys. Because of this, Paul had written him off as unfaithful, unworthy of being part of their company. 

 

When they resolved to return to towns where they had preached, Barnabas wanted to bring Mark back into the fold, “but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work” (Acts 15:37-38). We don’t know why Mark left them, but Paul didn’t want to waste his time with people he perceived as slackers.

 

Then we read, “They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left” (Acts 15:39-40). This seemingly tragic schism between the two stalwarts of the faith has a happy ending, however. In 2 Timothy 4:11 Paul writes – with no mention of Barnabas – “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” This same Mark became the writer of one of the four gospels, the Gospel of Mark.

 

While Barnabas didn’t enjoy the celebrity status of other New Testament leaders, he nevertheless established a legacy we’re still benefiting from today through two fellows named Paul and Mark.

 

This raises the question: What kind of legacy are we creating? What will remain after we’re gone from the scene? How wide a ripple in the pond will we have made? Whether we’re young or old, it’s never too early or too late to start forging a lasting – even eternal – legacy.

An Example Worth Emulating

S. Truett Cathy, one who "practiced what
he preached," leaves a strong legacy.

The old saying, “Actions speak louder than words,” is perhaps never more valid than when comparing what leaders say with what they do. Too often – whether they are politicians, executives in business, or cultural icons – leaders espouse high-sounding values, only to have behavior betray their supposed convictions.

A couple of weeks ago S. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, passed away at the age of 93. Unlike some of his contemporaries, who would be members of the “do as I say, not as I do” camp, he was a man who lived, worked, and served his fellow man in a manner consistent with principles and ideals he expressed. I had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Cathy for a magazine article years ago, and found him to be a humble, non-pretentious, genuine individual devoted to helping to make the world around him a better place.

At the time he was phasing out his involvement in day-to-day operations of the fast-food franchise he started in 1946 in Hapeville, Ga., an Atlanta suburb, with a single little restaurant then called the “Dwarf Grill.” His sons, Dan and Bubba, were already taking the lead.

One of the most notable aspects of Chick-fil-A has been its steadfast resolve to close on Sundays, even in shopping malls where all other stores are required to open seven days a week. Before committing to place one of their restaurants in a mall, the Cathys always sign a contract exempting their business from that requirement.

I interviewed Mr. Cathy years
ago for a magazine article.

It’s often reported this practice is due to Mr. Cathy’s and his family’s “religious” beliefs. To an extent that’s true, but he always felt it gave their employees a day to rest and spend time with family, whether that included attending a worship service on Sunday or not. In fact, when I asked him about the store’s Sunday closing tradition, he quipped that in his business’s early days, “after six days of operation round the clock, the reason we closed was not we were all that religious, but because we are all that tired.”

Throughout his tenure as head of the privately held, family-owned company, Mr. Cathy and his sons operated according to two guiding principles:  

      - To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us.

     - To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.

The latter principle, of course, would be hotly debated by those who viewed personal, pro-traditional family statements by son Dan as “intolerant” and “homophobic.” However, there has never been evidence of the Cathys or their company discriminating against employees, suppliers or customers on any basis, including sexual orientation.

Throughout his business career, Mr. Cathy was known for his generosity, including sponsorship of foster homes, college scholarships for restaurant employees demonstrating leadership and community service, a summer camp for young people, and various charity events, as well as his personal contributions to many worthwhile causes. Chick-fil-A also has long been recognized for having unusually low management turnover rates in the quick-service restaurant industry.

More than 30 years ago I was hired to serve as editor, and then director of publications, for CBMC (then known as Christian Business Men’s Committee). A running joke was when someone claimed to be a “Christian businessman,” the response would be something like, “Make up your mind – are you a Christian, or a businessman?” The implication being you couldn’t be both at the same time.

Thankfully, over the 20 years I served as a member of the CBMC staff I had the opportunity to meet hundreds of business people – top executives, middle managers and professional people – who daily demonstrated you could indeed pursue a career in the worlds of commerce and industry and still be a faithful, consistent follower of Christ. Mr. Cathy was one of them, an example truly worth emulating.

Proverbs 20:6 asks the question, “Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?” One could always be found in the person of S. Truett Cathy, who understood, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), and lived accordingly.