What a Ruined Castle in the Ozarks Taught Me About Legacy
Growing up in the Ozarks, one of my favorite places to hike was Ha Ha Tonka State Park. Atop a bluff sits the stone skeleton of what was once a majestic mansion, complete with stables, a water tower, and panoramic views of a powerful spring below.
It was modeled after a 16th-century European castle. Bold. Expensive. Built to last.
But it didn’t.
The owner died before it was finished. Fires gutted it. Storms and time wore it down.
Today, it’s a ruin: beautiful, haunting, and a powerful symbol of how even the grandest human projects can crumble.
A Leader Who Looked Successful
This morning, my men’s group read a short passage from Judges 10 about a man named Jair, who ruled Israel for 22 years. He had 30 sons who rode 30 donkeys and oversaw 30 towns. On paper, everything looked successful.
But the very next verse says:
“Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
— Judges 10:6
Just like the castle, everything fell apart after Jair was gone.
There’s no mention of scandal or failure in his leadership, just silence. But maybe that silence is the point.
He built infrastructure, not legacy.
He managed the moment, but didn’t prepare the next.
He gave his sons towns, but not truth.
Building Something That Lasts
It makes me ask myself as a leader: Am I building something that lasts, or just something that looks good right now?
In my work, I often see transformation begin. Incomes rise. Health improves. Communities flourish.
But lasting change requires more than prosperity. It takes spiritual depth. Ownership. Discipleship. Truth that outlives us.
Otherwise, we’re just stacking stones on a bluff.
What are you doing to make sure what you build doesn’t burn down the moment you’re gone?
Let’s lead in a way that lasts.
