Shooting for the Stars

Earlier this week, NASA announced that the Voyager 2 spacecraft left our solar system and entered interstellar space. Even given all the technological advances of our modern day, this 11-billion-mile journey is a pretty amazing feat, but it becomes even more astonishing when we consider that Voyager 2 was launched in 1977. That’s right…the same year that the Apple II computer first went on sale, the original Star Wars movie was released in theaters, and the first MRI scanner was tested, NASA set the Voyager 2 on a journey expecting it to last 5 years and hoping it would provide data about Jupiter and Saturn. Clearly, Voyager 2 is exceeding expectations!

I have to wonder about scientists who were a part of that team 40 years ago. What special talent or insight did they have that allowed them to turn a 5-year goal into a 40-year trek that literally broke the barrier of our solar system? Did they design the spacecraft to shoot for Saturn, or did they design it to shoot for a star? Did they look past the limitations of 1977 technology and see the possibilities of the future instead? What “stuff” were they made of?

Here’s the good news for you…you too were designed to shoot for the stars! God created you uniquely, complete with plans for hope and a future! While the limits you see in front of you today might be obscuring your view, the possibilities for your future are endless. Think like the Voyager scientists…Instead of simply being satisfied with reaching 5 milestones, work and plan as if you are reaching 40 of them. Plan to exceed the expectations of others. Work to exceed your expectations for yourself. Break a barrier. Don’t be afraid to explore the unknown in pursuit of your dreams. Build yourself of the stuff that is made to last.