I have lived long enough to realize I am not going to be on this earth forever. Lately I’ve been thinking about finally tackling the task of making final arrangements.
My wife Sharon still finds the subject uncomfortable, so she chose not to accompany me when I made an appointment with a local funeral home. I just wanted to get an idea of what it will cost to die.
I found out I can’t afford it.
Decisions
Seriously, I never realized there are so many decisions. The details of planning your own visitation, ceremony and burial (or cremation) are endless.
They took me through their showroom. It’s a weird feeling trying to pick out your own casket and vault, trying to picture yourself lying there. Will I look okay? Will my hair be combed nicely? Will I even have hair? I was asked if I prefer wood or metal. Brown or black. Silver or gold handles. How do I want to be dressed? What kind of flowers and how many?
Who will be the preacher? The singer? Which songs? The obits, the death certificates, the pall-bearers, the cemetery plot. Whew! It would be so much simpler if my family could just dig a hole in the backyard. (That’s more complicated than it sounds, by the way.)
Unafraid
I couldn’t help seeing the irony of spending so much time and money on my final appearance, considering I won’t even be there. I’ll be with my Lord and Savior, looking at the face of almighty God Himself.
That’s when it dawned on me. Funerals are not for the dead. They are for the survivors. I thought back to the visitations I attended. Never once have I thought, “Gosh, they really cheaped out on that casket.” In fact, most people probably never even spend more than a few seconds looking at the deceased. The rest of the time folks try to offer support to family and friends.
It’s never particularly pleasant to ponder your own final arrangements, but for the believer one thing is sure: You don’t have to be afraid of it. Psalm 56 states, “For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”
Now those are words worth preserving.
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