One of God's Yo-Yos

[A sermon given by Lou Hodapp Jan. 10, 2010 at the Missouri Veterans Home.]

Thank you, veterans, for the privilege of being with you again. Isn’t it great to be out of the cold Arctic air outside?
Ask me: HOW COLD IS IT?
I’m glad you asked.
It’s so cold, that as I was walking up to the building, my shadow froze to the sidewalk!
It’s so cold, that if Santa was leaving now, he’d have to jump start his reindeer!
It’s so cold, when I put on my coat to take out the garbage, the garbage told me it didn’t want to go!
That’s enough crazyness.

When you see children playing nowadays, you may be surprised to notice something – the yo-yo is back in style. But not the yo-yo that we remember of old. Now they have fancy yo-yos which do all the old tricks and in addition make noises and flash sparks.

I remember in my childhood days at school that oriental men would come around to the schools and demonstrate yo-yos. I believe that they worked for the Duncan YoYo Co. After watching these men do their tricks, each kid just HAD to have a yo-yo!

But I also remember that kids called other kids “yo-yos” and I definitely remember that it wasn’t a term of endearment. In fact it was comparable to “having bats in your belfry” or “he snapped his twig” or “three bricks short of a load” or “a full bubble off plumb”. (All you carpenters will understand that one). Knowing these things in school, I had always tried desperately NOT to be a “yo-yo”.

When I think about it, I must admit that there is a Christian parallel to the yo-yo. The yo-yo really does describe the ups and downs of the Christian life.

A yo-yo sitting on a table is not much good for anything except maybe a paper-weight.

When you call out to God for a Savior and make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, He in effect takes control of the yo-yo string. Since I have given my life to the Lord, Jesus Christ, God owns me. Therefore I must be one of God’s yo-yos!

Now the world can put me in a pretty heavy mood sometimes – in fact, a lot of times. But I find that, inevitably, Christ in control gives me some fresh insights and I am uplifted beyond measure. I never stay in the “downs” long without bouncing right back up to the heights.

The action of the yo-yo also describes how I learn what God wants me to know about His lifestyle – first I am down and seemingly in the dark, and then up and on top of things. After a momentary stay at the top I am on my way down with another one of life’s lessons to learn.

Some might say that they’d rather not go through all this bouncing around. But bouncing is the nature of the yo-yo. You’re not functioning as a yo-yo unless you bounce. To me, being a yo-yo is preferable to being static in thought and not learning what Jesus has to offer within the Kingdom of God.

If the term “yo-yo” bothers you, think about the things a yo-yo can do. With a skilled handler there is a little move called “rock-the-baby”, and another called “walk the dog”. These are like stages in your life where you learn more of God’s exciting ways.

Another was called “round-the-mountain”. Yes, I am familiar with going around the mountain all right. To me, that expression pictures my taking one of God’s little side trips filled with lessons that will help me to get closer to where He wants me to be.

Then there is that thing which a skilled handler can do to make a yo-yo “sleep” – where the yo-yo just spins for a time with no up or down movement. It can seem like an awful long time down in the dark, but a skilled handler like Jesus will always bounce the yo-yo back up to the heights.

Some lessons to be learned can seem to be taking longer than we could ever want – just spinning away in the depths. But we trust (and that is the key, TRUST) that we will bounce up again.

This truth was brought out to me a while back when I delivered Meals-on-wheels to an older woman’s home. I had been delivering to her for quite a while and she always had a cheerful way about her and often said as I left, “Jesus is with you!” One day I felt the urge to speak longer with her. I asked her to share her Christian testimony with me. Her story included a special experience involving illness and pain which had taken place many years ago. She said that now, every day, she still experienced pain, “But hardly ever”, she said, “does anyone notice it.”
I was amazed to hear all this from her since I had never once noticed strain or tension, either in her voice or in her manner. Then she said, “Why shouldn’t we EXPECT Him to control our physical body when we are ill?”
And I thought, “That’s what trust is – expecting.”

When Christ controls our yo-yo string, you can expect to be snapped up out of the downs and climb that string back up to the heights. Why not expect Him to get us through worldly troubles? Why not expect Him to draw us up out of our sin? Why not expect to be transformed by every downer we live through?

The Bible says that Jesus learned obedience or trust by the things He suffered – His downers. Jesus had the Father controlling His yo-yo string, and we have Jesus controlling ours.

Years ago, my wife gave me a little wooden plaque with the Bible verse from Roman 8:28 which says, We know that all things work together for good to them that love God who are called according to His purpose.” That little plaque sits in my bathroom next to where I wash and shave. In the morning, I open my day and prepare my day thinking those words.

You know, yo-yos live by the moment just as we do. Back in the poetry phase of my life, I wrote this poem.

If we’re thoughtful just a moment,
In what all we say or do;
If we put a purpose in it
That is honest through and through,

We shall gladden life and give it
Grace to make it all sublime;
For, though life is long, we live it
Just a moment at a time.

Just this moment we are going
Toward the right or toward the wrong;
Just this moment we are sowing
Seeds of sorrow or of song.

Just this moment we are thinking
On the ways that lead to God;
Or in idle dreams are sinking
To the level of the clod.

Yesterday is gone; tomorrow
Never comes within our grasp;
Just this moment’s joy or sorrow
That is all our hands may clasp.

Just this moment – let us take it
As a pearl of precious price,
And with high endeavor make it
Fit to shine in paradise.

Yes, as God’s yo-yo, Christ is the Holder of my string. It’s not by my whim that I go up and down, but by His design.

I go DOWN – to experience, to see, to feel, and to accept faith.

I go UP – to share with others, to show that faith, and to be used by God.

Being a yo-yo takes on a whole new meaning. No more worrying about not always having that placid, straight-line disposition that I see some other Christians exhibiting. Life IS highs and lows. And the Christian life as a yo-yo uses those highs and lows as learning experiences in the lifestyle of God.

If I get a knot in my string, it will take a little longer to work on it and get it out – but it WILL come out!

Ultimately, if my string breaks, Jesus will be the one to pick me up and repair me. What more could a yo-yo ask for?

Probably many of you here today have seen your need for Jesus Christ and have made Him the Savior and Lord of your life. This is the most important decision that anyone can ever make.
But there are always some in every audience who have never really turned their life over to Christ.

Let’s say a prayer now expressing this need for Christ. For those praying this for the first time with meaning – wonderful! This is an awesome spiritual experience!

For those “old-timers in Christ”, it never hurts to renew our commitment.

Father – the ups and downs of life can be frustrating. For those without Christ they can seem hopeless.

But, Father, you have made provision for us to become your true children by recognizing our need for the salvation that Jesus gives us by His death on the Cross and resurrection to Life again.

Right now, right here, I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior and, to the best of my ability, I want to make Him the Lord of my life – to teach me trust during the lows and to use me outward to others in the highs.

I come to you as I am, far from perfect, but looking forward to a gradual lifestyle change to the way you would have me, Father. In Jesus name we pray. Amen

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