I found an incredibly inspiring video on Youtube last week. It’s about an interview with a female surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack.
Bethany Hamilton was 13 when she lost an arm after a gruelling experience with a ferocious shark in the sea. Reflecting on it, I believe many of us could not imagine living a life with one arm – especially when you’re a teenager. ‘Awkward’ has become a common phrase among teenagers today. Can you imagine yourself going out with friends sporting a prosthetic arm?
But I loved what Bethany said when the host asked her how she was able to live through it. I finally understood how she overcame the trials when she spoke about her faith.
Here is a short transcript of Bethany’s interview at the Tavis Smiley show for the film ‘Soul Surfer’:
Bethany: “When I was about five, I gave my heart to Jesus Christ and since then, it’s just been a stronghold in my life and really thought the shark attack and all the times that my family and I went through, He gave us unity and perseverance to push through all these crazy stuff that we never knew would happen. Just being able to have a good outlook in life and having a positive perspective on things has been really encouraging to share to people.”
Host: “Was there a time that you questioned God?”
Bethany: “God really just gave me a sense of peace through everything. My question was more like ‘God why did you allow this to happen and what are we gonna do from here’ and not just dwell on what happened or have a pity party on everything.”
Bethany lost her arm but she has gained tremendous admiration from people all over the world with her awesome confidence and faith in the Lord. I believe she’s living a happy and fulfilled life. It’s like she never lost anything. God is awesome.
