Luke 12:13-15

“Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’” vs. 13

There’s nothing that stirs up a family more than the division of an estate after a death has taken place. Ill feelings abound, attorneys are hired, and final disposition of lawsuits may take years to be settled. Even when a will exists and the intentions of the deceased seem crystal clear, family members end up at odds with one another. Sometimes people have lived for years with the expectation of a big pay-off when one or both of their parents finally die, only to be deeply disappointed. Of course this isn’t just a modern problem–even Jesus was asked to be an arbitrator and settle a family inheritance dispute. Greed has been around forever. We like stuff, and if we don’t have to work for it, all the better. Even when we think we’re above all that monkey business, in the right situation we can easily get our feelings hurt and think that we’ve been cheated. The best solution is to do a ton of estate planning, give most of our stuff to organizations we love, and make sure that our closest heirs are treated fairly in our wills. Even then there’s a good chance that someone is going to be upset–greed can expose our ugly side in a heartbeat. Blessed are those who have the spiritual gift of generosity! They will be the masters of wealth and not its slaves!

Thought for the Day: My family inheritance squabbles.