Three. Two. One-Contact.

Have you ever seen the movie Contact? If you haven’t, it’s a 1997 movie based on the novel by Carl Sagan. (As I write this, it makes me think I should invest my time in reading the novel). It stars Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, and Tom Skerritt. Jodie Foster plays Dr. Ellie Arroway, an astronomer who searches and finds a signal from space that proves the existence of life on other planets. This signal sends plans to build a device, but they are not quite sure what it will do.

The Human Factor

Through the movie’s events, Jodie Foster’s character ends up on the vehicle to be transported to wherever it is to go. While building the capsule-like vehicle, the engineers were adding features that weren’t on the specs-features they feel are necessary. One is a seat with harnesses. The schematics didn’t have anywhere for the rider to sit, so how was the individual supposed to ride in safety? Dr. Arroway brings this up, and they assure her it is for her protection when the vehicle is launched.

A Choice to Make

Fast forward. During the mission, the seat that Dr. Arroway was strapped into begins to vibrate. The faster the compartment she is in seems to be traveling, the more violent the shaking becomes. Suddenly, she notices the necklace she had been wearing was floating calmly in front of her face. It occurs to her that maybe she didn’t need the seat she was in. She had a choice to make, unbuckle the safety harness to test her theory and either die or she would float, like that necklace.

The True Compass

How many times in our lives are we like that? We go off-script and trust what others tell us our lives should be like instead of following what we know we should do. So many times, we are given the schematics for how to live a happy life or the steps to experiencing success, and we hold on to them for dear life. Even when the world is shaking and tossing us about, we still won’t let go of those rules to live by. Then the true compass drifts by our face. We see it, but are we willing to believe that it is the true way?

Just Let Go

To experience peace and rest, we need to let go of the very things causing turmoil in our lives. For Dr. Arroway, it was the restraints of what the engineers thought was best for her. When in essence, it only held her back. For us, we often listen to others who believe they are acting in our best interests, when…