You probably have people in your life who have inspired you and your faith. Perhaps someone who first told you about Jesus, or who taught you something valuable that you’ve carried through life – either with their words or by their example. For Anna*, an Open Doors supporter for many years, there were three people who deepened her understanding of generosity and giving.
"My early inspiration came from three people, my father, my godfather and my aunt," she says. "My upbringing made me aware of the principle of giving. Then, when I became a Christian in my teens, we were taught that you only start to give when you have got rid of your tithe - tithing first, and then being as generous as you can be afterwards."
God loves a cheerful giver
As a new Christian, Anna would tithe money from her student grant and wages from her work at the local swimming baths – encouraged also by the words of 2 Corinthians 9:7: "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." At various times in the past, this included giving free lodgings in the family home to people at difficult times in their life.
As Anna grew older, giving sometimes came with sacrifice. “During my life, there have been times when I have found it hard to make ends meet,” she remembers. These difficult times in her life, and stories of her father on the run from Nazi persecution, helped deepen a long-held compassion for people who are suffering. It was around this time that she first became aware of the suffering of the persecuted church.
“I’d always heard stories of persecution,” she says. “My own father was a refugee, a member of the persecuted Confessing Church, who lost his parents at Auschwitz. I knew about losing everything, including loved ones, and being on the run, and being a stranger. But I didn’t know the extent of what people are suffering just for being Christians today.”
This connection to the suffering of fellow believers across the world gradually took root in her. Over time, Anna learned more and more about the persecuted church from the Open Doors website and publications, starting to see the enormity of the situation more and more, and to notice where the plight of refugees was in the news.
Continuing her legacy
More recently, Anna deepened her connection with the persecuted church – partly from the church to which she belongs, where some of the worshippers are refugees who have experienced and witnessed persecution first-hand.
She committed to the work of Open Doors in standing with Christians who risk everything to follow Jesus.
After praying and listening to God, Anna decided to leave a legacy to the work of Open Doors in her will. “I want to ensure that those in the wider church community – particularly the persecuted Christians – can be supported,” she says. Thanks to her decision, she can ensure that she is standing alongside her persecuted church family for many years to come.
For Anna, leaving a gift in her will is a way to pass on the legacy of the people – like her father, godfather and aunt – who helped inspire and guide her own walk with Christ.
Today, that’s a decision you can make too.
*Anna is a pseudonym, as this Open Doors supporter preferred to remain anonymous
