A Shield of Faith

There is something very crucial to a Star Fleet Vessel: shields. A shield is a force field created to protect a vessel not only from enemies, but also from natural occurrences as well. It is projected around a ship in times of attack and danger.

Shields are mentioned quite often in the Star Trek world; I have seen how having shields has saved my favorite crew (of Voyager) as well as other Star Trek crews several times. I always thought it would be cool to have my own shield - there are even many scientists working on developing such a thing - I'm excited for when they do. However, I wanted to share a perspective that I have on Star Treks shields and how they relate to faith...

First off, I'll start with a scripture from Ephesians when it is talking about putting on the armor of God; "stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparations of the gospel of peace;" then it goes on to my favorite part - the reason for this blog... "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked."*

The shield of faith! It's funny because on Star Trek, a shield is something that is not seen unless it is hit. An enemy wouldn't even know a shield was up until their weapons were stopped by it. In real life though, you can look at a person and be able to tell that he or she has faith. If faith is strong enough it can be seen in a persons countenance.

I've seen episodes of Star Trek where when desperately trying to keep their ship and themselves safe; the crew diverts all power from everything including lights, turbo lifts, life-support, replicators, and even weapons to the shields so that they may survive. Shields have proven critical to their survival. When every offensive tactic has failed they rely on their strongest defense. It is the same in our everyday lives as well: when all else fails we can rely on our faith in the Lord.

Shield strength is determined by the power put into it. It is the same with us: the power of our faith depends on how much effort we put into building it. The way a crew maintains their shields so as to be ready for use is simple - regular everyday maintenance. We can do the same for our shield of faith. We do this by saying our prayers, reading scriptures, going to church, and so on - everyday! Not just when we feel like it or when we need it. I've never heard the captain of a Star Fleet vessel say "oh check the shields and make sure they are working" in the middle of a battle. On the contrary - he or she simply states "raise the shields" without a doubt that they will work.

I can testify that we will be able to have that same confidence in our shield of faith - when we need it to protect us it will have the necessary strength - if we are constantly building it up a little at a time every single day.

*Eph 6:14-16

The Step of Faith

I grew up watching Star Trek and I'm still a huge fan. There are six Star Trek television shows. My favorite of the T.V. series is called Star Trek: Voyager. It is a story about a Starfleet crew that was pulled into a distant quadrant of the galaxy, far away from any other Starfleet people. They have to fend for themselves in a foreign, uncharted, and unfriendly place.

There is a specific episode that has often stood out to me; it is called "Sacred Ground." In this episode, the captain and a few members of the crew visited an alien world and one of the crew, a young woman named Kes, accidentally stumbled into an energy field that was surrounding a sacred artifact. The field severely injured her, putting her into a coma. Kes was brought back to their ship, the doctor discovered that Kes was not likely to survive. The crew learns of a legend where a King's son was injured the same way and the King went through a certain ritual as an initiation to awake his son. Hoping this would work for Kes, Captain Janeway asked the monks to allow her to go through the same ritual to awaken Kes. They agreed, but warned her that it will not be easy.

She agreed to proceed regardless of the risk. She went through several physical and mental challenges in order to learn how to help Kes. She had to paint pictures, stare at a stone until it lit up, and at one point she even had to climb a large rock wall free hand. Throughout the rituals, she had a guide who repeatedly told her that her tasks were meaningless, and that she already had the answer that she needed. Captain Janeway continues to push through, but after a long period of time with no success, she returned to the ship. She pondered on the things she went through and what her guide had told her. She realized that her guide was right, she had the answer all along. She told her crew that she would be taking Kes back to the energy field. The doctor told her that it would likely kill them both, but feeling that it was the right thing to do she went. Captain Janeway took a step of faith and walked through the field.

She was right, once she walked through the energy field, Kes woke up. Captain Janeway asked her guide why she had been made to endure so many physical and mental trials when the solution was so simple. Her guide told her quite simply that she put herself through those trials. It turned out that the ritual was based on the participant's expectations; so because Captain Janeway had expected to have to go through such hard trials that she caused it to happen.

I'm not saying that we cause our trials, but sometimes in life we can be really hard on ourselves. We can expect more of ourselves than is necessary. Our Heavenly Father knows us and he knows our hearts. He does not expect us to do everything exactly right all of the time - it simply is not possible! What he expects us to do is turn to him and take a step of faith and trust in Him.

Elder M. Russell Ballard once said, "Recognize limitations; no one can do everything. When you have done the best you can, be satisfied and don’t look back and second-guess, wondering how you could have done more. Be at peace within yourselves. Rather than berate yourself for what you didn’t do, congratulate yourself for what you did."

I can testify that as long as we have faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and we are doing our best, He is pleased with us. He loves us, we are His children and he does not want us to be so hard on ourselves. Remember that the Lord loves you for who you are, not for who you think He wants you to be!