Surfing with her best friend, Alana, and Alana’s father and brother, Bethany had been lying on her board between sets of waves. Adorned with a shiny watch, her wrist hung lazily in the water. Suddenly a large gray blur appeared out of the water from her left side. She felt a hard tug and pressure, and immediately the water was filled with blood. She looked down and saw that her left arm was missing all the way to her shoulder. Not feeling pain yet, she called out to Alana that a shark had attacked her.
“Bethany is going to be OK,” shared Bethany’s mom, Cheri, and her dad, Tom. “She said she thanks God that this happened to her so she can tell everyone about Jesus,” they said, choking back the tears. Friends hugged as they listened. Cheri shared how she and her daughter had been praying seriously for several weeks that the Lord would make Bethany’s life count for Christ in a big way.
“She is the epitome of the
verse that says, ‘I can do all
things through Christ who
strengthens me’”
(Philippians 4:13)
Bethany was invited onto syndicated national talk shows. Celebrity journalists joined camera crews from around the world—everyone wanted to hear from the young girl who had lost her arm but not her courage as she battled back onto the competitive surf scene. An international franchise now features a “Bethany Hamilton” line of jewelry; her biography—which clearly depicts her faith in Christ—made the L.A. Times bestseller list. Although uncomfortable in the media’s spotlight, she has nonetheless used the platform to share that God has a plan for everyone’s life. In 2005, she traveled to Germany to encourage U.S. troops who lost limbs in battle. First, she explains, we must accept the invitation of salvation offered through the death and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
Bethany said later, “Knowing that God loves me and that He has a plan for my life that no shark can take away is like having a solid rock underneath me. I have a relationship with Christ that keeps me strong and helps me see how good can come out of a bad situation. I think that the reason I have been able to tell my story on TV and in magazines is because God wanted other people to know that He is the Rock that you can build your life on.”
“These days I’m taking my surfing to the next level by starting to compete professionally. My documentary is being seen around the world, and we’re starting on a feature-length theatrical film. My focus this year is to take life one day at a time while getting to know God better!”
No comments:
Post a Comment