What My Husband's Life Insurance Made Possible: A Widow's Story

How life insurance helped me build a future for my daughters after losing their father, and why I now help other families prepare for the unexpected.

There are things you never imagine having to face when you get married and start a family.

You imagine raising your children together and watching them grow. You plan for birthdays, making memories, and building a life you can look back on with gratitude.

You do not imagine becoming a widow while your babies are still learning to walk. My husband passed away while we were on a work trip in Hawaii. Our twin daughters were just 11.5 months old.

In a moment, the future I had pictured for our family changed. I thought back to our New Year's goals we wrote down just a month before he passed away. I remember thinking, "Wait, but he's never going to be able to do the things he wanted." I was a newer Christian so I was trying to navigate real life as a widow, but also what this meant spiritually. I eventually realized that like Psalm 139 states, God knew that would have been the final day for my husband even though I didn't know. It wasn't a surprise to our Lord. But, thank God we were both in the financial services industry because we did prepare for life's unexpected moments even though we never imagined it would happen so soon.

I was grieving my husband while facing the reality of raising two little girls without their father. There were questions I could not answer yet, emotions I was still trying to process, and an entirely different future I had to learn how to navigate. But there was something my husband had put in place before he died that would make a lasting difference in our lives.

He had life insurance.

And because that protection was there, I had options during one of the most difficult seasons of my life.

When Psalm 34:18 Became More Than a Verse

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” Psalm 34:18, NIV

Grief changes the way you experience life. The world continues moving, but your own world can feel as though it has stopped. Ordinary responsibilities become heavier. Decisions that once seemed simple can feel overwhelming. You are trying to find your footing while carrying a loss that cannot be undone. I used the notes app on my phone and jotted down a to-do list of around 125 tasks. As I'd be moving thoughout my day when I remembered something I needed to do, I would type it into my long list. Then one by one, I would check them off as they got completed until I completed them all.

Psalm 34:18 does not say that people who love God will never experience heartbreak. It does not promise that faithful people will be spared from tragedy. It reminds us that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted.

I could not change what had happened to my family. Life insurance could not bring my husband back, take away my grief, or replace the presence of a father in my daughters' lives. But the financial protection he had put in place helped remove some of the uncertainty surrounding our future.

Living the need for life insurance and knowing God gives me a unique perspective and I see a connection between Life Insurance and Jesus that probably not a lot of people see. Jesus is our eternal life salvation. He's our ultimate "life insurance." In the finance world, life insurance provides for our families here on earth while we are held in the arms of Jesus. Read this article about Jesus & Life Insurance.

I truly believe the Lord uses resources we have available on earth to help us. While it was my husband's decision to purchase life insurance, I believe that the Lord orchestrated the puzzle pieces to be able to used it so I could provide for my daughters. I prayed for wisdom on how to wisely steward my finances. I had a strong basis for financial knowledge due to my profession, but I grew in wisdom and understanding. Christians I believe should have a grasp of finances and use resources available like life insurance, estate planning, and debt settlement programs. Take a look at this video of my friend's real experience getting 55% of her debt removed. I created a 5 Step Financial Stewardship Roadmap to help people get clarity on their finances. It all begins with this 60 second family protection checkup.

Sometimes, love looks like being present in the everyday moments. Sometimes, it looks like providing for your family. And sometimes, it looks like making a decision today that may help the people you love navigate tomorrow without you. My husband's life insurance was one of those decisions.

What My Husband's Life Insurance Made Possible

The death benefit gave me financial resources at a time when I needed the freedom to make important decisions for my daughters and myself. When they were a few months old my husband and I were pushing them in their dual stroller on a walk in the park. God put it in my heart to homeschool them and I brought up the idea to my huband. He was completely on board. When my husband passed away if he didn't have life insurance, I would have been in a completely different scenario. I probably wouldn't have been able to homeschool or be at home with them. Being financially prepared allows our families to continue on.

One of the things it helped make possible was buying a home for my girls.

That home represented more than a real estate purchase. It was a step toward building stability in a future I had never planned to navigate alone. I still had to grieve. I still had to raise my daughters. I still had to figure out how to move forward without my husband beside me. But I did not have to face every financial decision from the same place of uncertainty I might have faced without that protection. This is something I want families to understand about life insurance. It is not simply about the money someone receives after a death. It is about the choices that money may make possible for the people left behind.

Depending on a family's circumstances, life insurance proceeds may help pay for housing, everyday living expenses, childcare, education, outstanding debts, or other financial needs. The benefit can give surviving family members time to adjust and make decisions without having to immediately find other ways to replace the lost income. In my case, it helped me take a meaningful step toward creating a home and a future for my daughters.

I will never confuse that financial provision with the person we lost. But I will always be grateful that it was there.

Why Do I Need Life Insurance?

I understand why people put off this conversation. Life is busy. You are working, raising children, paying bills, managing a household, and trying to build something for the future. Thinking about your own death can feel uncomfortable, especially when you are young and healthy. You may think you have plenty of time. You may assume that your spouse could manage financially. You may have coverage through your employer and believe that is enough. Or you may simply not know where to start, what type of policy to consider, or how much coverage your family might need. Those are understandable reasons to delay, but they are worth examining.

The question is not whether you expect something to happen to you. The question is what would happen financially to the people who depend on you if it did. If your income disappeared, would your family be able to keep up with the mortgage or rent? Would your spouse have the resources to care for your children while adjusting to the loss? Can homeschooling continue? Would your family have to use savings, sell assets, or make major financial changes sooner than expected? Would the life insurance you already have be enough to meet your family's needs? These questions are not meant to create fear. They are meant to help you recognize the responsibilities you already carry and make informed decisions about them. That's why I encourage you to take this quick Family Protection Checkup or for a deeper look, take the Blueprint.

Life insurance is one tool that can help address those risks. The right type and amount of coverage depend on your family, financial obligations, budget, and goals.

For some families, term life insurance may be an appropriate way to secure coverage during the years when children are young or a mortgage is outstanding. We call that mortgage life insurance. For others, permanent life insurance may be worth exploring for longer term protection. Some families may benefit from a combination of coverage types.

There is no single policy that is right for everyone. What matters is understanding your options and making a decision based on your actual needs.

You can learn more about my story on the About Lailah page.