Hey ya’ll!! Welcome to Week One of Strollin’ Down Legacy Lane! This is our autumn series that gives us a glimpse into the legacies of real people and I know it will be an encouragement to us as we build our earthly legacy. I bet some of you have legacy stories that would touch the hearts of other people. Please go here and take a look at the guidelines for submission of legacy stories for this series. I would love for you to share them here.
Leaving a legacy for the generations that come behind us!!
Let’s get started today with one of the many legacy stories I included in my Bible study, From the Trash Pile to the Treasure Chest: Creating a Godly Legacy. I hope you are encouraged by this special story of a legacy of perseverance, sharing, and integrity.
On April 7, 1936, Wayne Edward Colwell was born to Frank and Eula Colwell in Blairsville, GA. He would be their only child and would be watched over and protected fiercely, especially by his mother. Only moments old, he struggled to live, and at one point was wrapped in a blanket and “laid out for dead,” as the old-timers used to say. It was only when one of his aunts noticed the blanket moving that the family realized he was very much alive. A few months later, he would struggle with a serious case of pneumonia that threatened his life. Yet by God’s grace, he overcame that as well.
In June of 1952, Wayne became very sick and was diagnosed with polio. He spent weeks at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, where he endured excruciating spinal taps and other medical procedures necessary to diagnose and treat this horrendous disease. Ultimately, polio would leave him unable to walk without the aid of a full leg brace and crutches. His parents could only see him once a week while he was at Grady, and this contributed all the more to his mother’s overprotective spirit. After several weeks at Grady, he was moved to Warm Springs Rehabilitation Center, where he spent several months learning to live with the residual effects of polio. He was told that he would never walk again and would be forced to spend the rest of his life confined to a wheelchair.
After coming home, Eula would have waited on Wayne hand and foot had she been allowed. However, Wayne had learned a measure of independence at Warm Springs, and he was determined that he would not allow his handicap to disable him. He finished high school, attended Young Harris College, and obtained his broker’s license to sell real estate. In his real estate business, he often needed to walk the properties that he was buying or selling, and with the aid of the full leg brace to keep his atrophied leg straight and crutches to keep him upright, he did just that. He achieved great success in the real estate business and also served a term as the sole commissioner of the county where he lived.
Not only was he successful in business, but he was a wonderful father to his two daughters and husband to his wife, Bobbie. His life evidenced his love for Jesus, and he volunteered untold hours mowing the grass for First Baptist Church in Blairsville. His passion was to see young people encouraged in their walk with Christ, and he gave generously to the youth program at First Baptist.
On the day of his memorial service, over 800 people stood in line for several hours to pay their respects to Wayne. His family heard story after story of how he had helped people in the community in a very quiet way.
“He paid my mortgage payment to keep me from losing my home.”
“Wayne came by the appliance store, purchased a washer and dryer,
and told me to deliver them to so-and-so. He told me never to tell who paid for them.”
Over and over, the stories were shared. These stories evidenced a life well lived—a life that left a legacy of hard work, integrity, perseverance, wisdom, and love for his Lord and his fellow man.
Wayne was my daddy, and over the years, I watched him function as well as any man who had two good legs. He provided very well for our family, when he could have easily given up and depended on charity or the government to support us. He was a respected business man whom people trusted because of his honesty and integrity. He worked hard and persevered in spite of his handicap. God gave to him wisdom, keen insight, and vision, and he used them to be the man God desired for him to be. It was from my daddy’s example that I learned about perseverance, hard work, and integrity.
MEDITATION MOMENT: Will your legacy include perseverance, honesty and integrity? Do you give up when the going gets tough? Do you always do the right thing even though it is not always the easy thing? Are your words truthful and trustworthy? What does my Daddy’s legacy story say to you?
