“Just Over There”
By Scott Vaughan
Easter 1967 came on Sunday, March 26. I was 7 years old. About 5 a.m. that Easter morning, my mom gently woke me, and I slipped from the warm covers of the double bed that I shared with my middle brother.
As I passed through the family room, dressing as I went, Mom let me stop to inspect (but not open) my Easter basket. I was thrilled to see the Spalding baseball, packs of baseball cards, malted milk balls (my favorite), and comic books.
She and I then stepped into the darkness for a 10-mile drive along two-lane roads to attend my very first Easter Sunrise Service on the banks of Lake Sidney Lanier north of Atlanta. My dad’s mission was to roust my two brothers and cook Easter Sunday pancakes back at home.
The seeds of the Gospel – the Good News of Jesus Christ – began germinating in my heart that Easter Sunday morning. The ecumenical gathering of believers at the lakeside chapel, singing praise to our Creator’s redemptive promise through the life, death, and Resurrection of His son, Jesus, stirred a meaning for me beyond the children’s Sunday School lessons at church. It was a gentle preparation.
Three weeks later, on Monday, April 17, 1967, my mom’s heartbroken cries broke the peaceful pre-dawn silence. Her daddy – my papa – had died unexpectedly. He was 58. I did not understand, but I reached for and took hold of the afterglow of Easter – that life does follow death for those who love Jesus.
A kind man from our church found me at the funeral home. He brought me a Coca-Cola and sat beside me on a bench outside. He told me that my grandfather was not dead – he had just moved on from this place to paradise. My papa was alive “just over there” in heaven, but only because he loved Jesus with all his heart. The man was my papa’s best friend.
A full year came and went. My mother spent hours with me, answering all my questions about faith, heaven, Jesus, and church. My papa had prepared her well. In May 1968, I gave my own life to following Jesus as my Savior and was baptized into faith on Sunday, May 26, 1968.
I have a friend in Jesus. He is the Savior from my human nature that rebels against God as my Creator. Jesus is the foundation on which I can stand and hold tight during every single storm of this life and celebrate each blessing and joy. Each day, my faith reminds me that the broken nature of this world does not bind me – my hope today and my future tomorrow rests in Jesus and only in Him. If you do not know Jesus, I encourage you to seek Him out. He is welcoming new friends daily. Happy Easter!
