The other night after 25 grueling miles on the stationary bike, I decided to reward myself by having some popcorn. But not just any ordinary popcorn ... this was the movie theater style that's loaded with salt & butter. It's a rare treat that I reserve only for when I've put in a good workout. I had a light dinner and after all those calories burned on the bike, I was about ready to sell my birthright. The bag was placed label down in the microwave as the seconds ticked off. Two minutes, thirty seconds to dreamland ... 1 minute to go (the bag was half popped) ... 30 seconds left ... the smell of buttered popcorn filled the kitchen air ... 3, 2, 1 ... *ding*.Not waiting for the bag to cool off, I tore it open and emptied its contents into a large snack bowl. The popcorn was just as delicious as I had imagined. Because the kids were already in bed the recommended serving size could be doubled and shared between my wife and I (joy)! As we neared the bottom of the bowl, there were still quite a few un-popped kernels. This is where Kristy abandons the feast but where I press on to test my orthodontic strength on a few partially popped kernels (I think it's a guy thing). No sooner had I started this feat of stupidity, when one of the kernels became lodged in between two of my back molars. I actually didn’t notice it at first, but it wasn’t long before that tooth started aching. Here's a day-by-day account of my predicament ...
Day 1: The kernel lodged in between my teeth has become a bit of an annoyance.
Day 2: I try to use dental floss to carve out this enemy who’s made my mouth its home.
Day 3: With the dental floss failing, I upgraded to a plastic pick which I wielded with great skill but to no avail.
Day 4: I’ve started to sub-conscientiously play with the kernel non-stop using my tongue; mid-sentence I’m abandoning conversations with people to “wrestle” with this demon.
Day 5: I’m starting to lose sleep; I start to wonder what the long-term affects of lodged popcorn kernels are.
Day 6: It’s driving me absolutely insane and I’m going out of my mind. I’m about ready to shell out whatever co-pay my insurance company insists on to have this kernel professionally removed.
On the seventh day I finally broke down and dug the old water pik out of storage. I filled the receptacle with warm water and Listerine and cranked that puppy up to full strength. I was going to blast that piece of popcorn out of there if it’s the last thing I do. One pass wasn’t enough, but after the second rinse I finally declared victory when I saw the kernel fall into the sink and retreat down the drain. I exclaimed, “Freeeeeedom!!” in my proudest, loudest Braveheart voice. Suddenly everything came back into perspective. Like when King Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity was restored after seven seasons as an animal, so too was I finally able to regain composure and focus in life. How could something so small cause me that much grief? It didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to waste another second thinking about that popcorn kernel. “Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last." (borrowed from Martin Luther King, Jr.)
If you’ve ever had a popcorn kernel stuck in your teeth I’m sure you can relate to my plight. Do you remember how liberating it was when the kernel was finally dislodged? Well we as Christians have another opportunity to feel that tremendous sense of relief when we put our trust in God the Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. I can say with utmost certainty that we have all disobeyed God at one point or another in our lives. This disobedience is called sin and it is an extremely heavy burden. Why? Because it keeps us separated from God (and remember, without that close oneness with God we’re left with a “hole in our hearts”; see The Parable of the Ebay Ad). The evil one plagues us with feelings of guilt and unworthiness when we carry around this sin with us. He wants us to believe that there is no escape from these feelings. But I have Good News! Nothing could be further from the truth. In John 14:6 Jesus carefully draws out our escape route. He explains that “I [Jesus] am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” That reunion with God is only made possible through acceptance of Christ as our personal savior. “Then you will know the truth [Jesus], and the truth [Jesus] will set you free” (John 8:32). Only Jesus can free us from the burden of sin. Ask Him to help you with a sin you’ve been struggling with and see just how swiftly He lifts this burden that's weighing you down. God promises in Hebrews 8:12 to forgive us and He will remember our sins no more. Just like the old Rolaids slogan, “How do you spell relief?” I spell it: J-E-S-U-S. Amen.
Stay the course, finish the race ... AB
(Next Week: The Parable of the Midnight Caller)
