The Other Half

The Other Half

Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.

1 Timothy 6:18

In the midseventies, my husband and I ministered at a church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While there, we became familiar with the famous Carnegie family. In the South we pronounce it “CAR-nuh-gee,” but in the Northeast, it’s pronounced “car-NAY-gee.”

In his book The Gospel of Wealth, financier Andrew Carnegie declared his belief that wealthy people have an added responsibility to help and endow social charities and public needs. And he lived up to that declaration by funding many educational and social projects, such as Carnegie libraries around the country and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Fund-raising people often called on Mr. Carnegie, requesting his generous support. One year a man came to the Carnegie mansion to ask for sixty thousand dollars for a music project. Carnegie started to write out a check, but then he paused.

“I’ve changed my mind,” Carnegie said. “Surely there are other people who like music enough to help with this project by donating their own money.” Then he offered a challenge grant, saying if the man could raise the first thirty thousand dollars, Carnegie would donate the other half of the needed funds. The man thanked Carnegie and left.

The next day, the fund-raiser returned to the Carnegie home, announcing that he had already managed to raise the challenge amount. Carnegie congratulated the man and promptly wrote out his own check for the remaining thirty thousand dollars as promised and handed it to him.

The man thanked Carnegie profusely and was about to leave when Carnegie asked, “Would you mind telling me who gave you the other half?”

“Not at all,” the man said with a mischievous smile. “It was Mrs. Carnegie.”

Dear Father, thank you for your generosity toward us. You lavish your marvelous gifts on us every day, and our lives are so richly blessed. Help us to show our gratitude by sharing our blessings with others. Amen.