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 knowalive! Celine shrugged and a gave a half-hearted

apology. Sorry to disappoint you. But those rocks are excitingthey 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 surviveone 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 gravityless than one percent of Earth’scould 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 lifethe 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:

Psalm 27:8; Jeremiah29:13; John 1:1-John 1:5; Colossians 3:4