by Brian Lowe…
On November 2, I preached about the call on husbands to a headship that loves and sacrifices so that wives can flourish. One of the things I briefly mentioned was honoring our wife with our planning. Specifically, I talked about planning for death: life insurance, will, etc.
Today I leave for Dallas. In a couple of weeks I leave for Dubai. So, while I was making breakfast this morning, my wife challenged me by saying, “So, I’m not calling you a hypocrite or anything, but how have you honored me with your planning?”
At first, I was defensive. As I thought about it, though, I understood two things. First, I hadn’t communicated well with her. It doesn’t matter if I thought I had. She felt unprotected in that moment. Second, I just needed to comfort her by answering the question.
So, here’s what I’ve done to honor her with my planning. I have gathered the following information in one place and given a friend access to it in the event of my passing.
- Information for my family: This includes bank account numbers, passwords, specific life Insurance information, etc.
- Provision for my family: I have enough life insurance coverage to provide for my family until my children are on their own, including money for mortgage, college, weddings.
- Expressions for those entrusted to me: I have a video for my wife and each of my children that expresses my hope and love for them. I have a video for Exodus and the elders. These are short and I update them quarterly.
- A friend to assist: My wife doesn’t need to feel any more weight than would be expected in the event of my passing. I enlisted a friend to help navigate these matters with her. He has the information and knows what to do.
This post discusses a helpful resource by my friend, Ben Hoersch. I would encourage you to consider these planning steps. I think it will be helpful to you.
Here are some things I need to work on:
- Specific funeral arrangements and wishes–planned and communicated.
- Communicating better with my wife so that she knows what I have and feels the comfort my leadership should provide.
I’m going to work on that now…
How are you honoring your wife with your planning?
