Good Stewardship: Legal Documents

I am thankful that my Dad was a common-sense, good steward of his resources, and that included having appropriate legal documents, which he updated when life circumstances changed. The last major life event he experienced was the death of his wife Peggy in 2014. After that happened, my Dad had the awareness that certain things needed to be done to move on with the last season of his life, which he knew he was entering. He completed a new power of attorney. He knew his life insurance needed to be updated, so he and I contacted the company to name his beneficiaries. He met with his lawyer to update his will, which I haven't probated yet. There's no rush primarily because Dad enjoyed a long retirement, and spent, gave away, or otherwise disposed most of his assets long before he reached his last years. He lived comfortably on a retirement pension, and with no debts and a simple lifestyle, he knew that he wouldn't need much to live well, so he made decisions while he was alert and able about assets, of which, only two remain in his name and can be easily handled through his will.

Very important, he completed a health care directive in which he clearly outlined his end-of-life instructions. Why was this important? Because when he went to sleep New Year's week, my sister, brother, and I knew that he was preparing to leave us. We read his directive together and agreed on what should happen over the remaining days the Lord would give us together. His choices were clearly written. That's why we knew that he wanted to stay home, rather than enter a care facility. We chose to continue with hospice care, rather than be discharged and have him admitted to the hospital. Over that last week, he was not subjected to tests, needles, catheters, or filled with fluids that his body would struggle to process. True, we did not have an exact medical diagnosis of what was happening inside of him, but we didn't need that. He wanted to sleep, and the Lord had other plans for him. He knew it. We knew it. I'm glad he stayed home. I'm glad we were there with him every step of the way. I'm glad it was just Dad and the three of us together when the Lord visited the house that January 8th evening. I'm glad we could touch him, kiss him, talk to him, pray with him, and he could open his right eye to see us as he drew his last breaths. And it's primarily because he made his wishes known with a health care directive.

End of life stewardship is important. Make sure you have a will, a health care directive, updated insurance beneficiaries, and if necessary, a power of attorney, especially if you are single. Otherwise, if you reach a point when you cannot communicate, decisions will be made on your behalf that you would not want, and assets will be spent in ways that you do not approve. It's called stewardship, and it matters. Read some of the Lord's parables and see how seriously He regards it.