I just read the
article written by
brother, Daymond
Duck, and want to
share another
viewpoint that my
family and I came
to. My wife of
forty-two years
passed away about
six-weeks ago from
complications of
open-heart
surgery. She and I
had made the
decision some time
ago that we would be
cremated. Both of us
being in the medical
field and
exceptionally
practical had made
the choice because
of several
factors. Having
witnessed many
funerals over the
years, we both
noticed how very
un-life-like most
funeral homes
present our
bodies. While some
might say, “They
look like they are
sleeping,” we found
it was much more
representative of
something that might
be found in a wax
museum. My wife
stated emphatically
that she did not
want to be
remembered in that
way. I will say up
front that it is a
personal decision
that each person
needs to make in
advance to alleviate
the need for the
family to do so
under stress.
From the Scriptural
viewpoint, these
bodies are
corruptible and are
in a constant state
of decay even while
we are alive. After
death, natural
processes involving
bacteria, insects
and other things
will recycle the
body on their own
over time─until even
the bones return to
dust as the curse of
sin promised. It is
man’s attempt at
immortality that
makes him add things
to a dead person’s
body to try to
prevent decay; most
notably remembered
from the Egyptian
mummification
process only changed
in chemical nature
by the mortuary
systems of
today. And make no
mistake about it─the
funeral home
business is very
lucrative and plays
on the emotions of
the surviving loved
ones.
For us, the idea of
putting up a
monument to
ourselves that no
one in fifty to
seventy-five years
would remember is a
waste of money and
real estate; not to
mention the total
futility of stopping
the decaying process
for any length of
time over what is
necessary for
burial. My
wife was an organ
donor and I
consented to let the
medical community
use what they could
before she was
cremated. As a
result, two people
who were blind can
now see.
Most important, it
is not how we died
or what we do with
the body but how we
served our Lord
while we were
here. My dear spouse
had a life that
exemplified the
godly wife and
mother, a servant’s
heart to friends and
family. By her
testimony we gave
the gospel message
that her life well
represented so well.
As Daymond pointed
out, our manner of
death and the
destruction of the
body by whatever
cause does not
matter to God who
created us out of
dust. Your soul and
spirit will be
clothed with that
new and
incorruptible body
that will not wear
out, but will still
feel the joy of
eating at the
Marriage Supper of
the Lamb and the
warm hugs of Jesus
and our loved ones
that are there with
us.