I was checking my e-mail while this topic of receiving money rolled around in my head, and there it was – You’ve Got Money. The deposit to my PayPal account was not unexpected. It’s a monthly cell phone payment from a family member. But every time I see You’ve Got Money, I’m a little surprised.
A few weeks ago, I received a $10 refund from a medical office that I visited over a year ago. Apparently, I overpaid my co-pay for a visit. That was a nice little surprise.
Last summer, though, I was notified of a totally unexpected inheritance payment that I would be receiving. My dad’s youngest sister, who passed away in May 2019, died without a will. Since both her parents and her husband were deceased and she had no children, Ohio’s intestate law dictated that her estate be divided among her brothers and sisters or their descendants. My dad and all but one of his siblings have passed, so my aunt’s estate was divided up between that living brother and the children of the other siblings, of which I am one.
While I understood why I was receiving an inheritance, I couldn’t help but feel like I didn’t deserve it. Oh, I loved my aunt and know that she loved me. But, It had been decades since I had spent any time with her. That point was irrelevant. The inheritance was mine for the taking because of my position in the family.
It was necessary to sign for several certified letters as the legal proceedings took place. I suppose it is possible for one to refuse their legal portion of an estate. But I am blessed to be a part of the family and proud of my maiden name, the same as my aunt’s. And while distance still keeps me apart from most of my relatives, I’m pleased to have reconnected with some cousins. You may have read about my commitment to attend a Cousins’ Lunch in A New Year – A Good Start. Well, I didn’t make it to that event. More on that in my next post.
Since receiving family inheritance money, I’ve been thinking about the inheritance that awaits the family of God. As I’ve boldly stated in my little bio, as a daughter of the King of kings, I am a princess. That position wasn’t earned. It is the free gift of God. And, along with it comes an inheritance, a crown of life, a place in His Kingdom. Inheritance is one of the big topics of the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments. A quick search turned up 220 references to inheritance, many dealing with the promised land of the Israelites.
In the New Testament, the gospel writer Matthew recounted Jesus’ words about the end of this age when he will return and separate the sheep from the goats. He will address the sheep of his flock.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Matthew 25:34-36
Being a princess, a member of God’s kingdom, brings responsibility. Two things come to mind. Firstly, I want to stay in close fellowship with Jesus. Secondly, I want to be a good steward of the temporary “treasures” of this world, making sure to notice opportunities to store up treasures in Heaven by meeting the needs of the people around me.
I took this photo recently from our Aldi parking lot. All other images are from Pixabay.