When I finally sat down to write my own Spiritual Will for my two daughters, I realized that "being old-fashioned" was a strategic advantage. While typing is efficient, there is a visceral intimacy in your unique handwriting; my daughters know my scrawl, and seeing it on paper bridges the gap between my presence and my absence. I didn't want to offer generic platitudes like "be honest" or "work hard." Instead, I used a specific framework to ensure high Information Gain for my descendants. First, I identified my Top Three Core Values (Integrity, Resilience, and Stewardship) and attached a specific, gritty story to each. I wrote about the time in 2008 when I lost a major business contract because I refused to cut corners, and how terrified I was to tell my wife, only to find that God provided a better path six months later. I also included a "Humility Section." This is crucial. I apologized for the years I prioritized my career over their childhood milestones. Acknowledging your cracks doesn't diminish your authority; it models the beauty of repentance. By documenting these "God-stories," you provide a roadmap of identity. You are telling them that faith is not a quest for perfection, but a journey of grace. The Framework I Used:
* The origin story: Where our family faith began.
* The "Life Raft" verses: The specific Scriptures that held me together during grief.
* The Confession: An honest admission of where I failed and how I was forgiven.
The ultimate goal of this document is to act as a time capsule for family members you may never meet. I often visualize my great-granddaughter, fifty years from now, sitting in a dorm room facing a crisis of faith or a crushing heartbreak. I want her to reach for the letter I wrote in the winter of 2024. I want my words to be the bridge that reminds her she belongs to a lineage of believers who faced similar storms - financial ruin, health scares, grief - and emerged with their hope intact. In my letter, I closed by speaking a specific Patriarchal Blessing over my children by name, highlighting the spiritual gifts I see in them - calling out my eldest’s discernment and my youngest’s compassion. This mimics the blessings found in Scripture, giving your descendants a sense of destiny and spiritual belonging that a trust fund simply cannot buy. In the end, your bank accounts will be emptied, and your house will be sold to strangers. But the spiritual architecture you build through these letters will endure. It is the single most important piece of estate planning I have ever done, costing nothing but my vulnerability, yet yielding a return that is truly eternal. Final Action Step: Once written, seal your Spiritual Will in a clearly marked envelope. Do not put it in a safety deposit box where it might be sealed away; place it with your vital documents or give it to your executor today with instructions on when to read it.
