Regular readers might be surprised by the title of this blog post: A Real Ghost Story.
After all, it’s not something Christians normally talk about/believe in, unless of course you’re talking about the Holy Ghost.
I don’t know that I’d believe it either, but I seriously have no other explanation for the story I’m about to share.
Some years ago, a friend of the family died suddenly. Hubster had gotten to know this fellow quite well through church; I was well acquainted with his wife, and his stepdaughter is a friend of mine.
We attended the funeral service, which was packed to overflowing.
Afterwards, we waited around outside the church to pay our respects to his widow. We didn’t really know that many people there, so kept mostly to ourselves.
As we waited, a fellow walked past us and gave us a small smile, as befits a solemn occasion such as a funeral. He had grey hair, glasses, wore a navy jacket and grey pants.
Both of us commented on his amazing likeness to the deceased; we decided it must have been his brother.
We thought nothing more of it until months later when my friend (the stepdaughter) and I were chatting.
It seems that a number of guests at the funeral had reported seeing the “brother”, and how he was a spitting image of the deceased, to his widow.
Except – he didn’t have a brother.
Nobody had actually spoken to the gentleman.
Nobody knew who he was.
My friend, immediate family members, and the widow, did not recall seeing this person.
Yet it seemed just about everybody else at the funeral had!
His widow believes that it WAS actually her husband, attending his own funeral – and takes great comfort from it. She says he would have just loved to have done that, and caused a bit of a stir!
As Christians, we believe that with God, ALL things are possible (Matthew 19:26). Could God have perhaps allowed this gentleman to appear at his own funeral?
I have to admit, it sounds pretty far-fetched. I would have been the first to doubt! Except I remember it so clearly, and saw it with my own eyes …
What do you think? A real ghost story? Figment of our imagination? Or just coincidence?