Searching for Life (Part 2)

“Jax!” Celine pointed eagerly to her microscope. “Come look at this.” Jax
put down the test tube he was holding and walked over to her. Thanks to the
artificial gravity in the station, he could move quickly. Outside, where
there were no magnetized floors tugging at the flecks of iron embedded in
his uniform and boots, walking would have felt like hopping from one side
of a swimming pool to the other. Things got done much more efficiently on
Enceladus at one g.

“What is it?” Jax was practically bouncing with excitement when he reached
Celine. “Did you find something?” Celine pointed to the slide clipped under
the microscope lens and said, “Take a look at these rocks.” Jax stopped
bouncing. “Rocks!” He peered into the microscope, then laughed. “Yep, those
are rocks, all right.” He sighed. “You got me all excited thinking you
found something, you know—alive!” Celine shrugged and a gave a half-hearted
apology. “Sorry to disappoint you. But those rocks are exciting—they look
different from the other ones we’ve sampled. I think they’re made up of
different compounds.” Jax raised his eyebrows and said, “Um, I think I
missed the part about why rocks with different compounds are exciting.”

“Because it means we could be one step closer to finding life. Not all
microorganisms on Earth prefer the same food or environment. If there’s
life on Enceladus, it probably works the same way. Microbes may need a
specific type of environment to survive—one we haven’t found yet.” Jax
plopped down onto a lab stool and said, “Okay, I guess that is pretty
exciting.” He spun around on the stool’s wheels. Gravity was awesome. But
Enceladus’s tiny gravity—less than one percent of Earth’s—could be fun too.
There was a game of low-g volleyball he was hoping to get in on later. “If
there is life on Enceladus, I hope we find it.”

“Me too.” Celine sighed. “But sometimes it seems like a hopeless search.”
Jax nodded slowly then said, “I feel that way too sometimes. But then I
remember that, whether we ever find anything on Enceladus or not, I’ve
already found life—the life that really matters. Any disappointments in
this life can’t compare to that.” • Courtney Lasater

• Read the verse below. What life do you think Jax is talking about at the
end of the story?

• In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” How
can knowing Jesus help us weather life’s difficulties and disappointments?

And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will
share in all his glory. Colossians 3:4 (NLT)

Read Verses:

Ps.27.8|Jer.29.13|John.1.1-John.1.5|Col.3.4