Two Kinds of Kernels

Paige and Akira watched the bag of popcorn rotate slowly in the microwave. They waited until a rush of popping sounds died down before taking it out and letting it cool. They were at a church party, and Miss Martin had asked them to make some popcorn for everyone. Akira stuffed some popcorn into her mouth. "Yum!" But a moment later, she removed a hard kernel. "Oops!" she said. "This one didn't pop."Shortly before the party ended, Miss Martin called the kids together. She held two kernels of popcorn in her hand, one small, hard, and dry and the other puffed and snowy white. "I was just wondering," said Miss Martin, "how many of us are like these popped kernels and how many of us are like these hard kernels." She smiled at the puzzled expressions she saw on the kids' faces. "You see," she continued, "we're a lot like this popcorn. When we heated it in the microwave, moisture inside the kernels turned to steam and caused most of them to explode. They changed a lot, didn't they?"The kids nodded. "But how is that like us?" asked Akira."Well, when people hear the good news of Jesus and respond to it by trusting in Him, a change takes place within them," Miss Martin explained. "God says they become new people. There's a change in their attitude and desires that leads to love and care for others."Paige raised her hand. "My uncle was saved a few months ago, and he's really different now. But I'm not sure if I am or not."Miss Martin nodded. "The question is, do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God who became human to die for your sins--the wrong things you've done--and then came back to life so you could live with Him forever? Do you want to trust Him as your Savior? When you do, He will put a desire in your heart to know Him better and live in a way that shows others His love." She looked around the group. "Search your hearts. If you're still unchanged, like this hard kernel, you can become a new person by trusting in Jesus today." -Hazel W. Marett