Fear is the in the Eye of the Beholder

Fear is the in the Eye of the Beholder

In Finish Strong, Dan shares the story of the courageous surfer, Bethany Hamilton. As a 13-year-old surfing protégé, Bethany was attacked by a shark. Her dream of becoming a professional surfer was shattered with the realization that the shark had bitten clean through her board, taking her left arm in a single bite.

However, Bethany's determination, along with support from friends, family and her faith in God, allowed her to recover quickly and begin surfing again. She worked hard to learn to surf around her disability. Less than a year after the attack, Bethany returned to surfing competitions. Her amazing story of courage and faith is now featured in a brand new motion picture called Soul Surfer.

Soul Surfer arrives in theaters on April 8, but this weekend one of our staff members had a chance to see an advanced screening of the movie. Here's her take on this new inspirational film:

I sat down in a packed theater to watch the new movie based on Bethany Hamilton's inspirational story. I was surprised that so many people, and so many types of people, came to watch a feel-good, family-friendly movie with a great message. There were several families with young girls close to the age of the 13-year-old Bethany Hamilton featured in the Soul Surfer movie. But there were also young couples, older couples, and groups of friends of all ages. It seemed that people from different backgrounds and generations were looking for inspiration from a courageous 13-year-old surfer.

I think most people knew the story going into the movie. Each time the film showed Bethany surfing, the audience collectively held its breath, wondering if this would be the moment the shark would attack. As expected, when the shark attack scene did come, it was difficult to watch (though tastefully filmed to leave the movie with a PG rating).

But what was surprising to me was that it was more difficult emotionally to watch the scenes after Bethany had come home from the hospital. It was heart-breaking to see her struggle with everyday tasks like cutting a tomato or putting her hair in a ponytail. When she was allowed to go home from the hospital, she was essentially healthy. She didn't need to stay in bed or refrain from normal activities. There was nothing "wrong" with her; she was just missing something she'd been used to having her entire life - her left arm.

When she realized how much her life would be affected, how difficult little tasks would now be, not to mention how her lifelong dream of becoming a professional surfer seemed impossible now, it would have been understandable if she had given up and spent her life in bed. Even if the rest of her body wasn't sick, I can imagine that her heart felt sick by the discouragement of this situation.

And yet, she didn't give up hope. She persevered through a dark, difficult situation because she realized she still had love to give and love to receive. Instead of giving up, Bethany gave of herself, inspiring countless people around the world to finish strong in the midst of tough situations.

As I watched Bethany triumph over adversity on the big screen, I thought about all of the people I know who have overcome adversity of their own. When we watch someone like Bethany, surfing even with the loss of her left arm, it's obvious that she has overcome a difficult circumstance. But there are also countless people around us who have persevered through dark trials and chosen to finish strong instead of giving up. Are you facing difficult circumstances right now? Allow Bethany's story and the story of others like her to inspire you to finish strong!