Lasting Legacies Come From People Who Last

I can’t stop thinking about these two words…

Legacy and Permanence.

My dad worked at Puget Power (now Puget Sound Energy) his entire career.

My parents have lived in the same neighborhood for over 40 years.

They still go to the same church I was raised in.

Their closest friends have been around them for multiple decades.

They’ve made a positive difference in their church and community…

One of the secrets to their positive difference-making abilities is that they stuck around.

They lasted.

They didn’t bounce from thing to thing, place to place, or cause to cause.

They had permanence—staying power.

I’m convinced, lasting legacies come from people who last.

Perhaps the idea of sticking around or permanence isn’t very sexy.

And maybe bouncing around has more allure…

But trees, repeatedly transplanted, will always struggle to thrive or produce fruit.

Thriving and producing fruit comes from deep, healthy roots.

This is why God told his people:

“Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce.Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away!” (Jeremiah 29.4-6)

Notice, the thriving and fruitfulness comes after the “build homes and plan to stay”.

Marriages cannot thrive where spouses aren’t willing to stay.

Churches cannot thrive where pastors and leaders and people aren’t willing to stay.

Communities cannot thrive where Christian people aren’t willing to stay.

Thriving and producing fruit comes from deep, healthy roots.

And lasting legacies come from people who last.