This is a true story introduced in the book Rising Again (Duranno, Byung-rak Choi).

On April 11, 1970, NASA launched a manned spacecraft with the goal of achieving its third lunar landing. However, when Apollo 13 had traveled approximately 321,860 kilometers, one of its two oxygen tanks exploded.

The situation worsened when the remaining oxygen tank was also at risk of exploding. In the midst of this crisis, communication was suddenly lost.

When everyone believed all hope was gone, the spacecraft miraculously returned safely to Earth six days later, astonishing people around the world.

What is even more remarkable is that the astronauts accomplished this not through automated systems, but through entirely manual operation. How was this even possible?

In an interview after their safe return, one of the astronauts explained the situation this way:

“The spacecraft was already so badly damaged that it was virtually inoperable. We had to make a decisive choice.”

Against NASA regulations and instructions, they turned off all the lights inside the spacecraft—something strictly forbidden by protocol. Yet they had no other option.

And the moment the lights were turned off, an astonishing sight unfolded before their eyes.

The Earth, which had appeared faint before, became vividly clear. The glowing algae fields in the Pacific Ocean came into sharp focus. The darker the spacecraft became, the more clearly they could distinguish land from sea, and even identify the safest area for landing. As a result, they were able to land safely through manual control.

At times, what the world suggests as solutions—things that seem helpful—offer no real help at all. Yet because they are familiar and because we have relied on them for so long, we find ourselves unable to let go. In such moments, it is not the situation itself, but our hearts that suffer the most.

However, when we turn back in faith, we begin to see the true light of God that we are meant to see. Often, it is not that something is absent and therefore unseen, but that it is present and we simply fail to see it.

Scripture continues to speak to us clearly through human history even today: when we turn off the brighter, more dazzling, and seemingly more reliable ways of the world, the work of God is turned on.

As we enter the new year of 2026, I look forward to seeing you make wise and faithful choices.