Money and Paperwork

Have you noticed how often money shows up in Jesus’ parables and teaching — the widow’s mite, the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the unforgiving servant, the laborers in the vineyard, the farmer building new barns, the ten talents, the coin in the fish’s mouth? These parables offer many lessons for our contemplation. Certainly, they teach us to use money wisely — neither to rely on it nor to fear it. As “good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (I Peter 4:10), we certainly want to keep orderly records and to live within our means.

Balancing a checkbook, paying bills on time, and tracking insurance and investments are all normal and natural. And, if you have recently gone through a change in your living situation — who you live with and/or where you live — it is especially important to keep or bring order to managing your money and other resources.

Someone to assist with simple things — paying bills and getting Christmas cards out the door — might be as close as a trusted friend, relative, or fellow church member. For more complicated or sensitive matters such as taxes and investments, you might want to consider hiring a professional.

This section offers a simple overview of things to pay attention to, how to build some of your own knowledge and skills, and how to find some help if needed. In this website’s Advance Directives section, you will also find resources to help with things such as setting up a Health Care Proxy (sometimes called a Power of Attorney for Health Care) and other important documents.

For help thinking through these ideas, please call Caring for Christian Scientists at 800.930.3797.