SHARK-VICTIM SURFER GIRL'S SIMPLE FAITH
Posted by: Bigguyhereagain <Bigguyhereagain@...>
Bethany Hamilton looks like any fun-loving young American
teenager – bright eyed, smiling, excited about what she enjoys
doing. She’s athletic, attractive, trim, tanned and blonde –
qualities that in this culture can open many doors.
But Bethany faces a special challenge that many her age do
not. She is missing her left arm just below the shoulder, lost
to a shark attack while surfing in Hawaii last fall. The 1,500-
pound tiger shark also chomped a huge chunk from her surfboard.
She’s fortunate to be alive.
Bethany, who lives on Kauai, was the state’s top-ranked female
amateur surfer before the attack. Such a loss might seem
devastating. USA TODAY reports that Bethany seems undismayed.
Merely three months after the mishap, she was surfing competi-
tively again. She aims to be among the world’s best surfers.
Rather than hiding her left arm under clothing, she displays it
in tank tops and calls it “Stumpy.” When her prosthetic turned
out to be too light in color to match her suntan, she nicknamed
it Haole Girl, slang for a non-Hawaiian. She peels tangerines
by holding them between her feet and using her right hand.
How to account for her bright spirits? Determination and
dedication seem part of her makeup. But is there something
more?
Her dad gives a clue. “She’s not suffering,” Tom Hamilton
told the newspaper. "Somehow God gave Bethany an amazing
amount of grace in this. I am in awe. She never says, 'Why me?'.”
Bethany confirms her father’s analysis: "This was God's plan
for my life, and I'm going to go with it. … I might not be here
if I hadn't asked for God's help."
This surfer girl’s simple faith astounds observers. She has
become a media darling – with TV appearances on Oprah,
20/20 and Good Morning America. Book and movie offers
have come. She threw out the first pitch for baseball’s Oakland
Athletics on opening day. Through it all, her family ties remain
strong.
Her optimism echoes that of an early follower of Jesus, Paul,
whose life-experience log included unjust imprisonments,
beatings, stoning, shipwrecks and social ostracism. He was
convinced that “God causes everything to work together for
the good of those who love” Him.
Life can throw many curve balls: serious illness, accidents,
terrorism, domestic strife, employment hassles, theft and
more. Answers to “Why me?” and “What to do?” are often
complex. Accompanying feelings of fear, confusion, grief or
despair should not be ignored or minimized.
But perhaps a perspective that includes God in the picture
can be a starting place for coping. Maybe the surfer girl’s
belief and trust have something valuable to say to a society
filled with pain and risk.
During a winter New York City media tour, Bethany spontane-
ously gave her ski jacket to a homeless girl sitting on a Times
Square subway grate, then called off a shopping spree, citing
her own material abundance.
Something very significant is happening in this young athlete’s
life. Watch for more.
By: Rusty Wright
Visit To Tim Horton's
My six-year-old granddaughter, Caitlyn, and I stopped at a Tim Horton's donut shop for a blueberry muffin. As we were going out the door, a young teenage boy was coming in.
This young man had no hair on the sides of his head and tuft of blue spiked hair on top of it. One of his nostrils was pierced, and attached to the hoop that ran through the hole, was a chain that draped across his face and attached to a ring he was wearing in his ear. He held a skateboard under one arm and a basketball under the other.
Caitlyn, who was walking ahead of me, stopped in her tracks when she saw the teen. I thought he'd scared the dickens out of her and she'd frozen on the spot.
I was wrong.
My GrandAngel backed up against the door and opened it as wide as it would go. Now I was face to face with the young man. I stepped aside and let him pass. His gracious response was a kind, "Thank you very much."
On our way to the car, I commended Caitlyn for her manners in holding open the door for the young man. She didn't seem to be troubled by his appearance but I wanted to make sure. If a grandmotherly talk about freedom of self expression and allowing people their differences was in order, I wanted to be ready.
As it turned out, the person who needed the talk was me. The only thing Caitlyn noticed about the teen, was the fact that his arms were full. "He woulda' had a hard time to open the door."
I saw the partially shaved head, the tuft of spiked hair, the piercings and the chain. She saw a person carrying something under each arm and heading toward a door.
In the future, I hope to get down on her level and raise my sights.
Have a Blessed Day
Dave and Barbara
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