Many of you may have heard about NASA seeking out volunteers to go to Mars. For the last several year, they have been seeking young people who are willing to begin a new life on a new planet. Numerous people have clamored at the chance for such an adventure and applied to the program. Think of the courage it would take to leave life on Earth and everything that’s comfortable and familiar to start over again on Mars!
In anticipation of this larger mission, NASA has been seeking volunteers to do a one-year simulation. The first simulation is set to begin this fall.
Show this clip to your class [1:44]:
NASA seeking US volunteers for Mars simulation
- Would you volunteer for this simulation if you met all the qualifications? Why or why not? (Accept all reasonable responses.)
- Who would participants have to rely on in such a simulation? (Answers may include NASA, themselves, their fellow participants, etc.)
Participation in such a simulation requires the participants to put their faith in NASA to provide everything they need for a year of life, faith in themselves to be able to complete the simulation, and faith in their fellow participants to work well together in a confined space for an extended period of time.
Trusting in each person involved to make the simulation go seamlessly takes a lot of FAITH. Living out our everyday lives also requires a lot of faith. When we board an airplane, we trust the pilots and crew and mechanics and manufacturers to do their jobs well, so we can fly safely to our destinations. When we get in our cars we have faith other drivers will obey the traffic laws enough to allow us to travel safely. When we eat, we trust our food sources have provided us with safe ingredients.
- What are some other things you put your faith in on a daily basis? (Answers will vary. Encourage students to think outside the box.)
- What are some examples of ways systems, people, or products that we place our faith in fail? (Answers will vary, with possible answers wide-ranging such as consequences of traffic accidents, power failures, political gridlock, medical mistakes, etc.)
In every detail of life, we have faith that if we do something—even as simple as flipping a light switch—certain things will result. But how is that different from faith in GOD? What does it mean to have faith in the God of the universe, the one who created all things and put the moon and stars in place? Let’s explore what faith in God is and how it can impact our daily lives.
