Leaving an Inheritance

So, people listen up......

You're gonna die. Period. There's no way around it, unless you're one of the "lucky ones" that gets to see Jesus return before you take your last breath.

"Geez Deidra, you're so morbid!" Yeah, I know. But this is a serious matter. Death is something no one likes to really think about - no matter how "religious" you are. Most people don't like to think about the non-existence of themselves, the people they will leave behind, or the things they didn't get to do. Some people are afraid of death because they don't know "what happens". And even for those of us who are sure - we still don't like to think about it.

Want to know how I know? Because we put off stuff with the thought of we'll be here tomorrow. But guess what? What if you're not? What if after reading this, you keel over never to breathe again?

That thought leads me to this - are you prepared? Sure, I can tooootally turn this into a gospel message. But if you're reading this, more than likely, you've heard me "preach" the gospel message and it's up to you to make your own decision. If you haven't heard me speak on it, then contact me - I'd love to listen to you and answer any questions you have that I'm capable of answering. So instead of going down that road, I want to speak on practicality. Are you really prepared?

This month I've dealt with death. And to see how things ended up is really disheartening. Much of it came from bad habits that lead to poor management. And much of it came from poor planning. So, it got me thinking about a couple of things....

First - The bible teaches in the old testament that men were to leave an inheritance to their first born son. If they had no sons, then they could leave it to their daughter(s), and if they had no children, they could leave it to a favorite servant etc. The bible taught that it was wise to do this as this was a way to insure that the family could survive. Then we move on to the new testament, and Jesus taught that material possessions were worthless that spiritual inheritance, moral inheritance was more important. With words like "store not your treasures here on earth, but in heaven where moths can't destroy" and "where you heart is, there your treasure will be also" (all paraphrased), you see how He felt about earthly possessions. He also taught that material wealth caused more greed than good. HOWEVER, He also understood the need to live and survive here while living on earth. And it was taught that one who doesn't provide for his family is worse than an infidel.

Second - Because of the "order of things" set in the bible today our laws pretty much follow suit. Things get pretty messy when the family unit is broken (which also gives more credence to why the Lord hates divorce - but that's another posting entirely). When there are "step" people involved things get really ugly legally. You can raise a child from birth as your "step" child, but if you have not adopted them OR left anything in your will TO them, do you know they legally aren't your next of kin and can be left out in the cold? Do you know that if your "step" child that you've raised from a lil crumb snatcher is the only person in your life that you actively are in a relationship (and I'm not talking incest type relationship) with is not directly mentioned in any of your wills, family that you haven't seen in YEARS can come and plunder your belongings once you are gone? Why? Because THEY are your next of kin - your next blood line, not your step child.

So, are you prepared? What are you leaving behind? Are you leaving an inheritance of peace or mess? Stability or insecurity?

What I have learned over the last few weeks....

1. Reconciling what Jesus taught - it is FAR more important to pass on your wisdom, knowledge, understanding and truth about Christ to your family. But also remember that your family has to survive, so make sure that you plan accordingly to LEAVE something behind - if for nothing else, to cover your debt so that your family won't have to worry about that stuff.

2. If you love your family, go ahead and start estate planning now. You don't know when death will come knocking. Don't "wait" until tomorrow or the weekend. Make plans now - even if it's something scratched on a napkin and sealed in an envelope - well, you may want to be a little more formal than that. But the last thing you want is for your family to fight or your children (especially if you didn't biologically have them) to be left out in the cold and there's nothing you can do about it now.

3. Know your rights and protect yourself and your assets that you plan on leaving to your family. Then make sure THEY know their rights and where everything is.

4. You breath isn't promised. Breathe every breath with purpose....

GN!