Sooner or later, each of us must come to terms with the discrepancy between the information (or lack of) in the Bible, and the wealth of anecdotal evidence of visits from beyond the grave. In other words – contact with the spirits of those who no longer exist in the earthly human form as we perceive it.

The Bible, it seems, offers mixed messages on the subject. Ghosts or spirits are acknowledged or referenced in the Bible, but fall into two distinct categories. Some spirits are perceived as demonic, while other spirit beings, such as angelic visitors, are seen as emissaries from God.

With few exceptions, what the Bible does not address is contact from the deceased.

In an age of advanced means of communication, most of us have had some exposure to tales of visits or messages from the departed. These incidents of contact with the other side of death’s door can be comforting to those left behind, or even beneficial when that contact involves a warning.

Hard-core theologians or spiritual philosophers may take the position that such visits are demons masquerading as deceased loved ones. Others accept the possibility that our loved ones visit to reassure those left behind that all is well.

So, what is the truth?

If we apply our logic filter to this question, we find that the answers are not quite so simple.

First, the whole concept of existence after physical death is part of the faith puzzle – believing in something without the hard evidence to support that belief.

Secondly, while evidence may be sparse or questionable, the fact that humans have spoken about encounters with spirit beings for centuries is a persuasive argument that there is a realm or dimension of existence that exists outside of our ability to detect with our five senses.

Finally, we know that there are sounds and light wavelengths that we cannot detect with our bodily senses. It wasn’t until we developed tools to detect and translate those signals that we became aware of them. Those signals always existed, a fact that would have been denied in days gone by.

So, it seems likely that there is also a state of spiritual existence that is undetectable by the standards that we recognize in our earthly realm.

Is death, the release of the spirit from the body a “one-way street?” Is it possible that our loved ones delay their final journey out of concern for the welfare of those they left behind?

If we consider “ghost stories” as a benchmark, we might recognize that the analysis of many of those incidents seem to involve a spirit being who is tormented by unfinished business, distress, or some other highly emotional state.

It would seem that strong emotion is the tether that causes a spirit to cling to that thin veil between life and death. And if the emotion of distress can be a tether that’s hard to break, the emotion of love is made of  stronger yet softer stuff. Perhaps there is no stronger incentive to cling to that veil than love.

Perhaps our loved ones cling to us just long enough to be satisfied that we will be okay. Perhaps after death our loved ones give us a subtle, loving hint that they too are okay.

Satisfied that all is well they release the tether of love and drift off to their final home.

Perhaps God’s gift of love is to allow that subtle moment before He welcomes them home.