With great excitement, I opened the box delivered by my UPS driver. Inside were three pogo sticks for the grandkids; they were part of their Easter gifts. I flipped down the pogo pedals and inserted the handles grips into the metal frame. As I did, I remembered the pogo stick I had as a kid. It was bright red with black pedals and I thought it the coolest thing ever, next to roller skates.

Once assembled, I took it outside to give it a try. How hard could it be?  After all, all those years of boinging down the concrete driveway as a child made me a seasoned pogo stick professional and I was about to prove it. With great confidence, I jumped onto the foot pedals only to find myself dismantled after three jumps.

In disbelief I muttered,” Really.” It was more of a question than a statement because the suggested weight for the pogo stick was 10-lbs. less than mine. For the first time ever, my extra weight should have worked to my advantage and allowed me to pogo myself to infinity and beyond. It didn’t happen.

I repackaged the pogo stick and completed the return form with the reason:

NOT AS EXPECTED, lacks the power to boing.

Have you ever thought you could pogo stick your way into eternity?

It is the foot pedals of the pogo stick that move us forward and the handles that keep us balanced. Past successes don’t carry-over to the present. It is through repeated practice, determination and the full weight of God on the pogo pedals of our life that we are able to move forward to our eternal purpose.

If you find yourself being dismantled from life’s pogo stick, return it to the cross of Jesus.  Request an exchange with the return reason:

NOT AS EXPECTED: Please exchange and include a full set of instructions on how to move forward to eternity. I thought I could do it by my own efforts, but I failed.