Never Too Far

Published: Oct. 6, 2021, midnight

b'The comm link buzzed. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Osaka Karaoke?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Command Center\\u2019s usual check-in code. Sara gave the expected response in a choked whisper, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Apple Osaka Karaoke\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (A-OK). What else could she say? They only checked to make sure she was alive and in her right mind. And if she wasn\\u2019t\\u2014well, there wasn\\u2019t much they could do. The buzz sounded again. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Grey Falcon, repeat.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nShe cleared her throat and said it louder this time. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Apple Osaka Karaoke.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d She pressed her index finger against her thumb, ending the communication the chip in her hand allowed. She couldn\\u2019t take this anymore. Even the name of the space station\\u2014Lighthouse\\u2014showed how lonely it was. So did her code name\\u2014Grey Falcon. No one ever saw those birds. She felt like a bird alone in a titanium cage orbiting above Saturn.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Space station duty,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d she\\u2019d been told. They were short on astronauts, she knew that. But still, it seemed cruel to send her there without a crewmate. How could anyone stand a whole rotation cycle\\u2014three months\\u2014out here alone? She\\u2019d heard rumors about space madness. It had only been two weeks, but that was enough for her. She couldn\\u2019t take it anymore. It was so quiet. The days were endless, meaningless\\u2014hours upon hours, mostly spent staring at the ice and rock debris of Saturn\\u2019s rings. Watching for\\u2026something, anything. They told her watching was important, but they hadn\\u2019t told her why. That was classified. She lifted her gaze from the layers of orange and white storm clouds below, to the endless expanse of darkness beyond.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Hello?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d she called, then laughed. What was she expecting? Someone to say hello back? There was no one there!\\n\\u201cCall to me and I will answer you.\\u201d The words slipped into her mind. Sara paused, heart pounding. She knew who it was. The God she\\u2019d forgotten about. On purpose. She snapped off the monitor glasses she usually wore while observing. The rings of Saturn in all their diaphanous splendor slipped into view. A reminder that He had created this. A reminder that she wasn\\u2019t really alone. That she\\u2019d had someone to talk to all along. And still could. A warmth began to spread through her. Maybe it was time they talked again. \\u2022 Linda Washington\\n\\u2022 Can you think of a time when you felt alone? Through Jesus, God has provided a way for us to be in relationship with Him, and there\\u2019s nowhere we can go where His love can\\u2019t reach us. \\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u02dcCall to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.\\u2019 Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nMark.2.15-Mark.2.17|Titus.3.4-Titus.3.5|Luke.8.1-Luke.8.3|Eph.2.1-Eph.2.10'