Pastor’s Corner: Mark Eaton—Creating a Strong Legacy

Creating Legacy with Strong Relationships

by Mark Eaton

I’ve always been drawn to folks who leave behind a legacy of love and faith. As I grew up in the Pacifi c Northwest, I saw Pacifi c Northwest, I saw

Mark with his wife, Susie McEntire Eaton, sister-in-law Reba McEntire, and mother-in-law Jacqueline

families who were pillars of the community embody this trait, and I wanted to be just like them.

I think about my wife’s family, and I see strong ties that bind the generations together. I bet you’ve felt that for your own family, too—you want to make sure you’re building a solid foundation for your children and loved ones to live happy and healthy lives for many years to come. How do you consciously work toward the foundations of a good legacy?

LONGEVITY Spending our lives trying to improve ourselves and the relationships we have with others is like training for a marathon. Parents and loved ones who remain constant and committed, loyal and loving over many seasons will lay a foundation that will serve countless generations in the future.

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”

17 GOOD ACTIONS Legacies are formed when a pattern of small actions are repeated over the course of many years. We don’t have to make millions of dollars or quarterback the New England Patriots to have a good legacy. But we do need to cultivate a spirit of service that remembers to check in with loved ones to see who could use our help—and keep doing that over and over again. Loyalty, consistency, and integrity are key ingredients for performing good actions for a lifetime.

FOCUS Keep your eyes on your loved ones, and be present for them. Staying focused on raising solid children will shape them into parents who will do the same for their children someday. A clear focus on being a legendary friend, cousin, aunt or uncle, son or daughter will help you mark the hearts of your loved ones forever. I had a ministry once that we called Legacy Northwest. My vision was to help men think about the four generations coming after them, and to live in a way that created a positive impact for family members they may never meet. Let’s live in such a way that maybe one day down the road, someone might credit our longevity, good actions, and focus as a legacy they’d like to live into themselves.

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