Leaving a Legacy - Part 1: Living Well
By: Sara Payne, Magnify Missions Coach
Email: sara@magnifymissions.com
It’s a rare day in February-the 29th. The sun is filtering through the window as I write. When I left the house this morning birds were happily chirping, and I saw some green popping up through the garden bed. Both animals and plants alike were singing and rising up despite the chill in the air and the cold that would keep them quiet and hidden away. It brought to mind the verses in 1 Corinthians 15: 55-56,“ ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” No winter is forever, and the whisperings of spring remind me of the power of the resurrection. These are the same verses that I read this past weekend at my father-in-law's funeral, so they are both on my mind and heart. Hearing stories about his life and seeing the outpouring of people who came to celebrate him was both beautiful and impactful.
A Life Well Lived
Linwood Eric Payne known as Woody (Papa Payne to me) was a joyful, playful, generous man, who worked hard and made people feel seen and valued. He was an expert piano player and loved both producing and participating in every manner of musical show. As I reflect on the experience of spending time with him at family gatherings, vacations, and holidays, seeing him love our little girl as her Poppy, watching him battle cancer with an attitude of hope and trust as he quoted, “But God…”, and then finally watching him pass peacefully at home surrounded by family, I am struck with what it means to leave a legacy behind. The culmination of his life was echoed in the Scriptures, hymns, stories, and sweet memories shared about him in conversations around the table as well as his celebration of life. Hundreds of people showed up to celebrate his life, and while we gathered to celebrate him, ultimately we celebrated a life that was dedicated to the Lord and honored Jesus. Over the past month, my husband, Ryan, and I, along with our little girl, have spent a lot of time traveling back and forth between Indiana and Pennsylvania. During this time I was reading the book The Legacy Journey by Dave Ramsey, which ended up being a timely and appropriate read for a season in which we were facing an impending loss. We were both processing and walking through the experience of watching someone we love, both live life to the fullest up to his last days and then die well. Reading this book in conjunction with going through a season of loss was ultimately inspiring and motivating. I had the chance to see in real time what it means to leave a legacy for your children, your grandchildren, and your community as we heard and read countless stories of how people were blessed by my father-in-law’s life.
Slow and Steady
As I read The Legacy Journey, I was seeing a real life example in my father-in-law and how he had applied the principles outlined in the book. He did this in a way that allowed him and my mother-in-law to be both financially secure and generous. Early on in the book Dave Ramsey shares a success story and writes, “This one man applying God’s ways of handling money-even with a modest income-had completely changed his family legacy. And that’s the ‘problem’ with handling money God’s ways: You end up wealthy.” That could have easily been a quote about Papa Payne. My father-in-law did not start out as a rich man by any means, but he was wise in his dealings with money which ended up leaving him financially healthy and secure. It was a slow disciplined journey. He was a youth pastor and then an elementary teacher, neither of which are high-paying positions. He raised a family of 5 kids mostly on just one salary so my mother-in-law could stay at home. He did not spend extravagantly or have many nice things, often choosing either to go without or to buy used items or accept hand me downs to meet a need rather than purchase new. He would wear shirts until there were holes in them and had a favorite ball cap that had almost the entire top missing after one too many times in the washing machine. He kept wearing it partially as a joke, but also because he hated spending money on clothes. He was constantly saving and working. In addition to his full time job, he had several part time jobs-giving piano lessons, playing piano at his local church, and the additional piano side gigs. He was meticulous in his book keeping and kept track of all spending.
A High Regard for Work
Papa Payne’s family would attest, and I myself witnessed, that he loved to work, and he did it well. The value of work is another point that Ramsey emphasizes in The Legacy Journey. He writes, “If God gives us the ability to produce wealth through hard work, then we have to treat that like a special gift from our Father.” Even after his retirement, he was substitute teaching almost every day of the week and truly hated missing a day with the students and teachers. In the summers, he would volunteer at the local YMCA day camps, which he fondly called “Daddy Daycare”. Not only did he value work, but believed no job was below him if it meant providing for his family. 1 Timothy 5:8 states “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Ryan has a story he loves to share about how one summer his father was out of work. He was in between jobs transitioning from being a youth pastor to a teacher. He said every day his dad would show up to the local Labor Ready facility to take on various jobs in order to keep providing for the family. He continues, “Here was my dad, an accomplished piano player with a Master’s Degree, who was mopping floors and stocking shelves to provide for his family.” He tells that story with great pride and respect at seeing that example of work ethic modeled in his father. I see that same incredible work ethic in all of Papa Payne’s children. They’ve all done many kinds of jobs, but not paying the bills or just relying on their parents has never been an option. Ramsey notes, “Leaving a legacy is more than leaving assets; it’s leaving values.” I can see how Papa Payne instilled those values in his own kids.
The Gift of Generosity
Papa Payne spent the course of his life slowly working to build healthy spending and living habits that resulted in the wealth he left my mother-in-law and the legacy he has left us. Dave Ramsey outlines this process in his 7 Baby Steps. When he passed, Papa Payne had already been operating out of ‘Baby Step 7: Build wealth and give’ for many years. I personally experienced and witnessed the gift and benefit of his generosity time and time again. Over the past few years we’ve taken several family vacations, and each time Papa and Mama Payne would generously ‘gift’ part of the trip to the entire family by covering all of the food and excursion costs. Each Christmas and at random occasions throughout the year he would either outright give or at times quietly slip us money to help out with gas or groceries. Most recently he gave both me and my husband money without the other knowing for a date night. On our second to last visit, he told Ryan and I that he and Mama Payne had found some extra cash ‘lying around the house’, and they wanted us to buy a new oven with it. He had heard me in passing mention to Ryan that at some point in the future I’d like to get a new one. It wasn’t a need and I hadn’t asked for it, he just listened and wanted to bless us.
A Lifestyle of Contentment
Papa and Mama Payne were not only generous in their giving, they were always ready and willing to step in to meet the needs of others and help carry their burdens. In fact they were so mindful of helping others that they rarely thought of themselves. I think this is where I can see the value of contentment playing out in their lives. They don’t have a fancy home or lots of nice things. They have lived simply and frugally for their entire lives-never being people who really wanted much or felt the need for more. In The Legacy Journey Dave Ramsey addresses this attitude of contentment as a key factor in handling wealth in a godly manner. He writes, “That’s because contentment is not a destination; it is a manner of traveling. It’s not the place you’re leaving from, and it’s not a destination you’re heading towards. It’s how you’re going about getting there.” In years past, all of the kids would often go in together to buy them nicer items like a full size television versus watching tv on a computer monitor or Fitbits because we knew they’d benefit from them, but wouldn’t get it for themselves. It had only been in recent years that we had convinced Papa Payne to purchase some items that would improve their quality of life or be helpful - like new recliners or a mini fridge. So as Ryan and I helped his mother work through finances and accounts, we were both left with a sense of gratitude and appreciation for how his dad managed his money, ensured his mom would be amply taken care of and operated out of a perspective of contentment. He honored the Lord and his family by living well, and we get to reap the benefits of those choices as we continue living this side of heaven.
To begin your own process for leaving a legacy download our resource, Leaving a Legacy - Steps for Living Well, which outlines steps on how to build healthy life patterns in your faith, relationships, finances, and personal health.
Sara Payne is first and foremost a beloved child of God. She likes to surround herself with people who love Jesus, be out in nature, work out, cook, and drink delicious cups of coffee. She is married to Ryan, an amazing man who loves Jesus, and also is (in her opinion) a rock star with a band called Attaboy. They have one beautiful little girl named Isabella, who is a joy and delight! Sara’s first job after college was as a missionary serving overseas in Budapest, Hungary. She then transitioned into being a full time English teacher in a PBL school on the south side of Indianapolis, IN. There her mission field was high school students. After getting married, she worked for Magnify Learning as a Branding Manager and PBL facilitator. Since becoming a mama, she now works for Magnify Missions where she is able to combine her love of missions and teaching to serve and coach missionaries around the world.
