If you have an up-to-date and valid will, you deserve our congratulations. You’ve accomplished what many people never quite get around to doing. Congratulations for taking the initiative and getting the job done.
On the other hand, you may be one of the many people who are practicing the fine art of procrastination. You may have been avoiding writing or updating your will for many years. There are at least ten reasons people give for not writing a will. If any of these apply to you, put an “X” in the appropriate box.
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I don’t have an attorney who can draft my will.
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I don’t want to deal with the subject of death.
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I don’t want to make decisions that could cause family discord.
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I don’t have time to get my will done.
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I can’t afford to have my will done.
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I don’t have a way to get to the attorney’s office.
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I don’t know who to name as my executor.
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I am too young to have a will; I’ll do it when I’m older.
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My estate is too small to have a will.
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I don’t need a will; my survivors can make the decisions.
If you marked any of the items you may want to contact me. I am able to visit with you at no cost or obligation. I can help you to understand why any of the above reasons can fail to justify the absence of a will. As a Christian, you will want to make your will a “last will and testament” by including a statement of your faith in your will.
I can provide you with a sample statement of faith that you can modify to reflect what you want to say to your family. You may also want to continue your support of your favorite ministries by including a gift to these ministries in your will. By doing so you can continue to support these ministries even after the Lord has called you home to Heaven. If Lutherans For Life is one of your favorite ministries we rejoice and I can assist you in the correct wording for your gift in your will.
Please pray about this area of Christian Stewardship in your life. We confess and believe that everything we have is owned by God and we are His managers. Our property and our family are gifts from Him. When we write our will we are acting as His steward and making plans for His property.
With the Holy Spirit’s guidance and our encouragement, you can fulfill this most important act of stewardship.
If you would like me to encourage you and give you assistance in working with your attorney to write your Christian will please contact me at jschroeder@lutheransforlife.org or 515.490.7371.