Into the Unknown
December 2, 2019 • Linda Washington • Genesis 12:1–9, Psalm 13:5
I grunted as I gazed at the viewport. Black space. Tiny white dots in the distance. Nothing new here. I side-eyed Dad. This was his fault. He acted like he knew where we were going. . Dad, a seasoned commander, looked up from the blinking lights of the console. “Still not speaking to me, Tai?” . I fingered one of my braids. He’d named me Tai—Swahili for eagle. I was born to fly, he always said. Born to explore the unknown. . Though I wanted to continue giving him the silent treatment, I caved. “I’m concentrating. You gave me the helm after all.” It was what I’d aced in flight class. “How do you expect me to calculate the entry if I don’t know where to go?” . Dad laughed like I’d said something hilarious. “I gave you the vector to the jump point. We’ll make planetfall then. Just follow the coordinates.” . He acted like this was no big deal. But we were in the middle of Nowhere Space. I wasn’t sure our tiny ship could make it to the planet he claimed was in Tau Quadrant. I’d left all my friends behind in Gamma Quadrant. All because Dad claimed God wanted us to find a planet that might have water—a precious commodity back home. Now there was no chance of me applying to Advanced Flight School when I turned eighteen! . I broke the silence again. “There are too many unknown variables. What if we overshoot wherever we’re going?” . “Do you trust me?” . I took in a breath. I knew what he meant. Did I trust him to know what was best for us? I slowly let out my held breath. He’d always been there for me. He’d never let me down before. . “Jump point ahead,” I said. It was now or never. “Throttle up.” . The ship shook as it made the jump. Seconds later, there it was in front of us: a small, blue planet. That meant water. Maybe this would be a good place after all. • Linda Washington . • Today’s story echoes the true story from today’s Bible passage. Abram heard from God: “Go... to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). That required trust: a belief that God was good and loving and that He would provide. Because of Jesus, why can we trust God no matter what (Romans 8:28; Philippians 4:12-13)? . I trust in your unfailing love. Psalm 13:5 (NLT)
The Reflective Life
November 23, 2019 • Courtney Lasater • Mark 7:20–23, Romans 3:10–18, Romans 3:23–24, 1 Timothy 1:15–16, 2 Corinthians 5:17
It didn’t matter how good people tried to make themselves look. The mirror never lied. Not to Amiah. She could see a person’s true image in their reflection. And what she saw were monsters. . She didn’t know why no one else saw them, but the monsters were always there, flickering across sheets of glass and curves of metal. A spoon at a restaurant would betray the maniacal rage of a friendly waitress, her yellow, blood-rimmed eyes popping out of her head. A subway window would illuminate the green, slimy jealousy of the well-dressed man sitting next to her. On the street, the side of each building became its own danse macabre as grotesque figures stumbled across the glass. . But they weren’t the reason she avoided reflective surfaces: she was. She was the worst monster of them all. Whenever she looked in the mirror, she shuddered at the horrifying creature gazing back at her, hatred and rage rotting the flesh off her bones. She wanted to scream and run away, but it followed her from one pane of glass to the next. . One day, a man sat down across from her on the subway. He had long, stringy hair and wore a faded T-shirt and tattered jeans. Before she could stop herself, Amiah turned toward the window to see what monster he was hiding—and felt the air go out of her lungs. There was no monster. Only his pure reflection smiling back at her. . She was suddenly pierced with the realization that he could see the monster she was, and her face grew hot with shame. But as the train screeched to a halt, he nodded toward the exit. "Come," his eyes said. "Follow me." . He pushed open the doors and walked out. This wasn’t her stop, but everything in her propelled her to follow him off the train. She hurried toward the beeping doors and stepped out just as they swooshed close behind her. She joined him on the platform, and as the train pulled away, she caught a glimpse of herself in the window and gasped. For the first time ever, she saw her face. Soft black curls fell across her shoulders, and her eyes shone clear and bright. . The monster was gone. • Courtney Lasater . • What monsters (sin and brokenness) have you seen in the mirror—even if no one else can see them? . • Read 1 Samuel 16:7. How does God’s view of people differ from the way humans see each other? . • Read 2 Corinthians 5:17. What does it say about how God sees those who belong to Jesus? How should this change the way we see ourselves? . This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)