Luke 12:34

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Reflection by Lillian Daniel

As an adult, it took me far too long to make a will. Who wants to consider the time of one's death? I didn't. Besides, there was nothing complicated about my estate, I reasoned. Anything I had would just go to my family. Wouldn't that just happen naturally?

Later, I learned that I was making some big assumptions. There's more to a will than money. There are other decisions to be made, from the care of my children to my own wishes for myself in a medical situation. Without a will, I was not being responsible to myself, or my family. But I still didn't want to do it. It was depressing.

But when I finally did it, I discovered something wonderful. In my will, I could be extravagantly generous to the institutions that have mattered most to me. It wouldn't cost me a thing, or cause me one worry or make a dent in my lifestyle. My children are already used to the notion that we don't keep all the money we earn, so they won't be surprised that they don't get to keep all their parents' money later. In fact, I like to think that the gifts we give to others might even bring them a little joy at a sad time.

It gives me joy to think that one day I can leave a surprising and unexpected gift to a church that has long since forgotten my name. (And yes, I would prefer that enough time has passed that they have forgotten my name. That is definitely my preference.)

These churches will get a gift they didn't expect from someone they may not remember, unearned, no strings attached. It's a small gesture compared to the gift of life eternal, and the legacy of a cloud of witnesses bigger than us all.

Prayer

Dear God, I thank you for all the gifts that have been left to the church over the centuries, for the generosity of the givers and for the mighty cloud of witnesses that shape us still today. Amen.

About the Author Lillian Daniel is the senior minister of the First Congregational Church, UCC, Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She is the author, with Martin Copenhaver, of This Odd and Wondrous Calling: the Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers.

Lent starts Feb. 22! Get your copy of Give it Up! Lent Devotionals 2012 from the Stillspeaking Writers' Group. Click here to order.