About Me
Kia ora! I’m Hiro, your host here at Kernel of Wheat.
After working as a primary school teacher in Japan, I moved to New Zealand, where I’m now a stay-at-home dad raising two kids with my wife.
Back in my teaching days, my life revolved around work. But then something happened that changed everything.
In October 2020, I was suddenly struck by a serious illness in Auckland.
I hovered between life and death, but experienced a miraculous recovery — and through that journey, I came to place my trust in Jesus Christ and became a Christian.
What I Want to Share With You
What I want to share with you through this blog is a piece of incredibly good news — something I myself had no idea about until quite recently.
It’s this: “You are, in fact, a precious and irreplaceable person.”
I want to draw your attention to two words here: in fact.
I used to work in schools in Japan. In moral education classes and pastoral care, this kind of message came up all the time.
I’d often say things like, “Every single one of you matters.” “Your life has meaning and purpose — so keep going!”
But then, in science class, I’d stand in front of those very same students and say something quite different.
“Everything in this world — including human beings — came into existence through a series of random chance events.”
In other words: we’re nothing more than matter, and your existence is simply an accident.
It wasn’t until just before I left teaching that I realised the enormous contradiction in what I’d been saying.
I’m sure some of my students must have been thinking something like this:
“Our teacher says nice things to make us feel good about ourselves. But science has already shown that there’s no reason we had to exist at all.”
I believe this kind of thinking is shared by many people who went through the Japanese school system.
And I deeply regret that I may have planted these thoughts in the minds of the children I taught. I’m truly sorry for that.
That’s why I now want to add those two words — in fact — and share this message with as many people as I can.
“In fact, you have value.”
This message isn’t just comfort or encouragement — it’s an objective fact. It’s truth.
The fact that you are a precious, valuable person is something you never need to doubt, never need to downplay. You can believe it completely, just as it is. That’s what I want you to know.
I’m sure you’re thinking:
“How can you say that so confidently? If you’re calling it a fact, you’ll need evidence. Where’s the proof?”
The evidence that you are someone precious actually exists in abundance — and in visible, tangible forms.
If you’d like to find out more, I’d love for you to keep reading this blog.
I hope to share with you the many pieces of evidence I’ve come to know.
Thank you for being here, and I look forward to exploring this journey with you.
Kernel of Wheat — YouTube Channel
I’ve started a short video series on YouTube called “Today’s Bible Verse”.
I upload Bible verses every few days. If you enjoy them, I’d really appreciate a subscribe and a like!
Kernel of Wheat — YouTube Channel
Supporting This Blog
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All donations go towards running costs and contributor support.
Get in Touch
I’ve set up a Contact form. Feel free to send through any thoughts, feedback, or questions — I’d love to hear from you.