Articles
The Little Satellite That Could
The Little Satellite That Could
Brett Petrillo
In 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe Pioneer 10. The mission of this probe was to reach Jupiter and photograph the planet, its moons, and other parts. At the time, this was an extremely bold plan since nothing had ever reached beyond Mars, much less Jupiter. There were even a few tense times when it seemed like Pioneer 10 was going to smash into the asteroid belt. Amazingly, Pioneer 10 made it to Jupiter, and then Jupiter’s mighty gravitational pull took hold. It grabbed the probe and accelerated it. However, the probe was far enough away that it proceeded to sling it at amazing speeds toward the edge of the solar system. It soon passed Saturn, then Uranus, then Neptune, and even Pluto. By 1997, Pioneer 10 had reached an incredible six billion miles from the sun. Through all of this, the little probe continued to transmit pictures and information.
Pioneer 10 was designed to be useful for only three years. It made it twenty-five. The little probe continued to transmit pictures and information from a tiny 8-watt transmitter. Each message took nine hours to reach earth. No one expected this probe to accomplish what it did. It went well beyond its expectations and abilities. This probe was soon given the name “The Little Satellite That Could.”
We have all been given talents and abilities by the Lord. Some of us may be five talent people, others two, and others just one (Matthew 26:14-30). Perhaps some don’t expect all much from us. However, there is no reason God cannot work incredible things with the talents He has blessed us with. He gave them to begin with. He can certainly help them to grow and prosper for the kingdom.
Whatever our talent level may be, let’s be sure to use them for the Lord, doing so with all our might (Ecclesiastes 9:10). God can do great things through even the smallest of abilities. Let us have faith that the good Lord “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Ephesians 3:20). How are you using your God-given abilities for His glory?
