Cut Off

I should’ve stayed with my unit. Bright flashes of color told me the oxygen
in my suit was running low, not that it would’ve mattered. My cracked ribs
kept me from inhaling too deeply, even though I knew I should. Short,
staccato breaths were all I could manage as I glanced for the thousandth
time at the flashing light on my communicator. I didn’t answer it.

.

This was my own fault. The Commander ordered us not to engage the enemy
while we scouted, but I thought that one had been alone. I remembered how
one grey insectoid had hunched over its kill and ripped into it with
serrated mandibles. I’d thought I had a clear shot from behind my tree, not
knowing that on this alien world, the invasive parasites liked to climb.

.

Luckily for me, one of the insectoids above me was just as impulsive as I
was and attacked alone. Somehow, I managed to escape that brief scuffle
before the swarm could coordinate.

.

Now, I lay curled up in the forest, camouflaged by a net of vines that
nearly blocked out the scarlet sky. My wrist comm blinked the same red
color underneath the vines, demanding attention. I jammed a button with my
gloved finger and gasped out, “Yes, Sir?”

.

“Where are you, Lieutenant?” The Commander’s voice was a mixture of concern
and relief.

.

“Deep in enemy territory, Sir. They’re everywhere. I just wanted to say…
This is it for me. I’m sorry. I should’ve listened.”

.

“Send me your coordinates.”

.

Did he think he could rescue me? A voice cut through the fog of my brain to
remind me that he had the rest of the unit to think of and I wasn’t worth
it. Finally I said, “I don’t think you heard me… ”

.

“No, you didn’t hear me. You need to trust me.”

.

He was right. I sent the coordinates just before my eyes fluttered shut.
They didn’t open again until I lay in our ship’s medical bay with the
Commander’s hand on my shoulder. He looked at me with love in his eyes and
said, “You are worth it.” • Andrea Hargrove

.

• In Matthew 18:12-14, Jesus likens us to lost sheep. Can you think of a
time when you disobeyed God so badly or so often that you felt He shouldn’t
forgive you? What does this Bible passage reveal about God’s forgiveness?
(If you want to dig deeper, read Luke 15.)

.

• Has anyone else ever done something so bad that you felt they shouldn’t
be forgiven? What does the Bible have to say about this? (Read Romans
8:33-34.)

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• God’s love for you is so deep, there is nothing you could do to make Him
stop loving you. He was willing to die on the cross so that you could be
forgiven and live with Him forever. How does this make Him a trustworthy
commander?

.

Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord; may your love and faithfulness
always protect me. For troubles without number surround me; my sins have
overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me. Be pleased to save me, Lord; come
quickly, Lord, to help me. Psalm 40:11-13 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Matt.18.12-Matt.18.14|Ps.40.11-Ps.40.13|Prov.3.5-Prov.3.6