Be the Miracle

Jim had seen it all before. As he stared out the portal of the spacecraft at the moon, he remembered the last time he was here. It was Christmas Eve, and he and his crew were in lunar orbit, broadcasting a holiday greeting back to the inhabitants of planet Earth. He remembered looking out at the moon’s surface and seeing the long shadows that the sunrise was casting across its features. It felt as if he could reach out and touch it. He was ready to tread where no one had gone before.

Jim Lovell passed away last week at the age of 97. He was a true pioneer—first to orbit the moon with his crew, and famously the commander of Apollo 13. He dreamed of walking on the moon, and the Apollo 13 mission was meant to make that possible. But as we all know, things didn’t go according to plan. Instead, the mission became a story of crisis: a mid-flight disaster that threatened the lives of the crew. Jim’s quick thinking, together with his crew’s steadfast work, turned near-certain tragedy into an extraordinary story of survival and teamwork. The world watched with bated breath, and there was collective relief and joy when the crew returned safely to Earth.

Jim never set foot on the moon. But he became an inspiration for how to tackle the unexpected. “You can’t suddenly have a problem, and then just, you know, close your eyes and then hope there’s a miracle coming on, because a miracle is something you have to do yourself, or have people to help you.”

It’s easy to see our “moon shot” as our only objective, the sole definition of success. But life has a way of surprising us and changing our plans. When things don’t go as expected, those moments become the true test of our character. They can be the very moments that define us—not by whether we reached the goal we set, but by how we faced the unexpected. It isn’t just about accomplishing the mission, however important that may be, but about how we react and support each other along the way.

As we take on new challenges this week, let’s remember Jim’s example: don’t lose heart when the mission changes. Instead, do something—make a difference. Help someone else. Be the miracle. The measure of success isn’t the destination, but how we respond when the path shifts beneath our feet. Even when you are 234 thousand miles from home.