Bethany Hamilton: “Never Give Up”: A Hero’s Message of Hope

Bethany Hamilton and her Shark-Bitten Surfboardhttps://amaliehoward.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Bethany-Hamilton.jpg“The best leaders simply show others how to follow” (Botsford). The Youth Pastor at Horizon Christian Fellowship often says this when explaining why one needs people to look up to: “It’s not that we should strive to be exactly like a certain person, but we should have people in our lives that inspire us to become better Christians and followers of Christ” (Botsford). In this sense, a deserving hero is someone who looks up to and points society towards the greatest hero of all, Jesus Christ. Everyone has fallen short at some place in their lives - everyone has sinned - but God has not. He has provided us with the greatest blessing of all: although He was the epitome of perfection, He sacrificed Himself in place of all people on Earth, and provided a way for a sinful humanity to live with Him forever in Heaven. A hero embraces God’s plan for his or her life and lives differently because of it. Their traits reflect God’s character; they are the evidence and living proof of Christ and His love. People notice the way they live differently than most and see God’s love through their actions. Heroes accept the fact that they are human - their imperfections, their struggles, and their testimony - as a way to proclaim Christ to others. God acts out of love and selflessness, and anyone who follows Him does the same. With God on one’s side, one can accomplish anything and spread love to the outcasts of society. They act as a light, a beacon of hope in society and reach out to others as a brother or sister in Christ. A hero is someone who has an impregnable relationship with God and because of it is not fearful to live differently in His name.

Bethany Hamilton was a normal 13-year-old girl, resident of Kauai, Hawaii, who’s passion lay in riding the waves and in her love for Christ. On Halloween of 2003, Bethany went surfing with her friend Alana, Alana’s father, and Alana’s brother in Tunnels Beach. That was the day her whole life changed. As they bobbed around in the water, waiting for a decent wave to arrive, a 14-foot tiger shark attacked Bethany. While she prayed aloud, Hamilton was propelled to shore, and was rushed straight to the hospital where her healing occupied the upcoming weeks. She had lost her left arm in the attack. After recovery, with assist from her family and friends, Bethany re-taught herself to surf as well as other things she loved. Because of her faith in God, she never gave up, and became a professional surfer despite the difficulty of having only one arm. Bethany won Best Comeback Athlete in 2004. She went on to inspire others with her story of overcoming adversity, faith, and, never giving up. Bethany Hamilton is a deserving hero, because her motivational attitude and humble gestures whenever obstacles oppose her, is a living testimony to Christ and His love.

Anchored in Love: One of Bethany's Outreacheshttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/DGqHAWWUIAAhHbt.jpgBethany appreciates what an influence she can have in the world, and utilizes her story in order to motivate society in their walk with Christ. In her book, Soul Surfer, Bethany writes to her readers in the introduction about her aspirations for her testimony and autobiography: “I think it’s truthful, and I hope it inspires and motivates people to tackle any obstacles in their lives. I hope it helps people find faith in God...I hope it motivates someone going through a tough time right now to keep on fighting until they rise above it. You can and will get through it. I’m living proof that where there’s a will, there’s a way” (Hamilton, page xiv-xv).  Bethany’s life is a story of determination: in the name of God, she never once gave up no matter what “obstacle” she faced. Bethany can reach a large portion of society with her story, because if an ordinary 13-year-old could overcome some of the toughest adversity, then so can anyone. She embraces and utilizes her testimony as “living proof” of God, because with the absence of Him, she would have never overcome what she did. Hamilton says she aspires that her testimony “helps people find their faith in God”. Her unique way of living is proof of God’s love, and Bethany recognizes that the world takes notice. In the article, “SHE'S AN INSPIRATION...”, a winner of Bethany’s #EveryStepMatters challenge stated in an interview the impact of Bethany’s determination on her life: ‘"Bethany has also been an inspiration to me. I remember hearing her story when I was younger, and the fact that she's had to overcome so much and still continues to do what she loves-I can't imagine going through what she did, that she would have fears and things like that-and get back in the water. The fact that she did it without even thinking twice about it is such an inspiration...she inspires me to do things that I think I can't maybe do."’ (Verdisco, Paragraph 22). Hamilton openly lays out her story of overcoming adversity, and it “inspires” others. Her faith in God helped mold her into the person she is today, her characteristics, her story. It was not in her own ability that she was able to “overcome” her “fears and things”, but in Christ’s. In this sense, she lives differently from most, and people perceive her for doing so. They admire her, and inquire how Bethany could ever “get back in the water...without thinking twice”; it is only through God that she was able to stay determined and return to the waves. This gives Bethany the opportunity to tell her admires about Christ’s love and all that He has done for her and for the world, and she does without a second thought. She lets her relationship with Christ be her motivation to not let any challenge or fear prohibit her from achieving her goals, and passes on her motivation through her testimony.

Bethany, whenever is given the opportunity to achieve an amazing feat or is given recognition for her story, stays humble and gives the glory back to God. On the Faith page on Bethanyhamilton.com, Bethany Hamilton goes into depth about how honored she is to have been supplied with all her gifts from God:

Growing up in a Christian home was a huge blessing for me. At a young age I was introduced to what Jesus Christ has done for all of mankind. Through His death and resurrection on the cross, He provides the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. This gives me hope in the future that I have as a Christian. As rough times come my way, like when I lost my arm to the shark, and as life throws challenging curve balls, I take joy and am grounded in God’s promises found in His Word, the Bible. I still hold fast to his truths today. (Hamilton)

Bethany Hamilton Surfing with her Best Friend Alanahttps://www.emaze.com/@AQRTFTOT/UntitledEven though Bethany Hamilton is prominent, she credits everything she undertakes to her “Christian home” (her family and friends) and “Jesus Christ”, but never to herself. She does not desire to be known for how she overcame the shark attack, but how her family, friends and God overcame the shark attack, because they were her support during her arduous time; they went through it together. Bethany’s humble attitude towards her fame is what sets her apart from other celebrities. Also in Bethany’s autobiography, Hamilton explains that she did not want to compose a narrative about herself, but decided to anyway, because of the impact it would have for God’s glory: “To be honest, I never wanted to write a book. It actually took a lot of convincing by my family and friends, because I’m not someone who likes to talk a lot about myself, or thinks I’m any big deal. But they saw something on my story that would be helpful and interesting to others–and they encouraged me to write it down...It would give a bigger picture of my faith, my family, and all those people who have helped get me back onto the water again...” (Hamilton, page xiii). These are the opening lines in Bethany Hamilton’s autobiography, as it is one of the most significant things to her and she persistently repeats it throughout her story: she does not want to be remembered as the surfer-girl-who-got-attacked-by-a-shark, but since she is she employs it to bring the glory back to God. In truth, Hamilton selflessly wishes her story not to be about her, but about her “faith, family, friends”, and God; in short, others, not herself. They were the ones who “helped get [her] back onto the water again”. Without them, Bethany Hamilton would not be where she is today, and she wants to recognize them for it. She accomplishes what she does not for the glory of herself - but for the honor of the glory of Heaven.

Soul Surfer: Bethany Hamilton's Life Storyhttps://ourworld3b.blogspot.com/2014/03/surf.htmlBethany Hamilton is a hero because her motivational behavior and humble deeds whenever she confronts and conquers adversity is living proof of Christ. After Bethany Hamilton lost her arm in the shark attack, her life altered for what appeared to be the worst. However, through her faith in God, Bethany remained determined and with the assistance of her friends and family got back into the water and relearned to surf. After she became a professional surfer, despite the difficulty, she never took the credit for her accomplishments. Instead, whenever Hamilton was questioned, she gave it up to her family, friends, and God. Her selflessness and unstoppable attitude convey that she is truly anchored in Christ. In today’s society, it is strenuous to discover someone who has devoted his or her life completely to following God; it is this trait in Bethany that originally caught my notice. Bethany Hamilton has been a hero to me prior to I can recall. In second grade, my mom and I went to watch Bethany Hamilton’s movie, Soul Surfer, in theater. I was entranced and motivated by the way she overcame such trying challenges by fixing her trust in Christ. A few months later, I presented a speech on Bethany Hamilton which, unknown to me, was videotaped. It then followed a chain reaction: my mom gave it to my aunt, who gave it to her roommate, who gave it to her friend who worked at Sticky Bumps (one of Bethany’s sponsors), who it turn, gave it to Bethany Hamilton. Bethany loved it and ended up posting it on her front page of her website. I felt so blessed to have the honor. That was not the end of it though. This time, beginning at Bethany’s end of the chain, an autographed poster was passed down to me. It read: “Aloha Morgan! Never give up! Bethany” (Hamilton). I believe God placed it on Bethany’s heart to compose the letter to me, because her message of hope arrived just in time. The following year, I encountered my own rocky season where I grasped onto her message like a lifeline. Her story and small gesture of kindness to me kept me grounded in faith, and it was the rock that got me through the rough season. Now that the storm has passed, I can see everything so plainly. As the Youth Pastor at Horizon says: “The best leaders simply show others how to follow” (Botsford). One can tell when someone is living for God - when someone is grounded in faith, when someone loves others unconditionally, when someone lives everyday like they are not promised a tomorrow, when someone does not let anything get in their way, when someone does not invest in the things of the world like popularity - and it is awe inspiring. Because a deserving hero lives a call to action, they inspire others to join their call to action. This is the call to action of God: to love others as we would ourselves and to make a difference in the name of Jesus Christ. If only Bethany knew how she transformed millions of lives from just her life story. If only Bethany knew how she transformed my life from one small act. She may never know, but God does. And I can adjoin Bethany’s call to action - God’s call to action - to live my life for Christ; to be the leader who is following the greatest leader and hero of all: Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior.

The Same Picture Bethany Signed For Mehttps://dailyburn.com/life/fitness/bethany-hamilton-soul-surfer/ 

Works Cited

Hamilton, Bethany, et al. Soul Surfer: a True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board. Pocket Books, 2012.

Verdisco, Samantha. "SHE'S AN INSPIRATION; Bethany Hamilton lost an arm  in a shark attack when she was just 13. Did she let that keep her out of the water? No way!" Tampa Bay Times [St. Petersburg, FL], 14 May 2015, p. 13. Biography in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A413552796/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=eeb31473. Accessed 8 Jan. 2018.

Hamilton, Bethany M. “Bethany Hamilton's Bio.” Bethany Hamilton, bethanyhamilton.com/profile/.