Trouble Over Maldi

I’m hoping for a good explanation of what happened out there today, Kali.” Captain Vesper crossed his arms as I joined him on the bridge of the Goshawk, the largest ship in the Maldi exploration fleet. “Because from what I’ve heard, you abandoned your squad down on Maldi to find the missing explorer.” I shrugged, gazing out the window into space and the glowing orb of the planet below us. As the youngest squad leader in the fleet, I had trouble fitting in with any of the team and, admittedly, I had a hard time not doing things myself. “I’m a faster pilot alone than with the rest of them. Besides—I rescued the explorer before anything bad could happen. That was my mission, right?” “It wasn’t just your mission.” He frowned. “You shouldn’t have left them. You could have gotten into just as much trouble as the explorer you rescued.” “I work best alone, okay?” I snapped. “Why can’t I be doing solo supply runs down to Maldi? I was good at that! I didn’t have to worry about other people slowing me down.” Captain Vesper sighed, looking out at the planet as starships drifted by, delivering supplies to the outpost. “You’re a brilliant, talented pilot Kali, and you might be right about that. You probably didn’t need a team with you for that mission. But your team needs you. They’re waiting on your every word, Kali. They take it all to heart.” I glanced over to him. He smiled. “If you learn to lead in the small things, you’re going to be a great captain someday.” My wrist communicator flashed red with a high-pitched beep of an emergency alert. I looked down to read: STORM INTERRUPTING SIGNAL. LOST ALL CONNECTION WITH MALDI EXPLORATION TEAM. “Go.” The captain nodded at me, and I pressed a button on the communicator. “Squad, this is Kali,” I spoke into the device. “Let’s regroup in the repair bay. I have new objectives from the captain and a plan for us to go over—together.” • Abby Ciona • Would you rather work alone or with a team? Jesus died for those of us with an independent streak too. And when our lives are centered on Him, He helps us see that leaning on others to build His kingdom together is exactly what we are designed for. How are we to work as a team? Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Proverbs 27:23-24; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Matthew 25:23; 1 Peter 5:2-6