By Gavin Boyle
Celebrity surfer Bethany Hamilton explained why she believes that God remains in control even when she faces darkness and suffering in her life.
“I think we always want to latch on to having a purpose in our pain and struggle… and I have faced enough hardship in life to kind of feel confident that that. Like, even at times when I didn’t feel stable, I didn’t feel secure, I didn’t feel like my faith was super solid, I had this overlying hope that God was in control. And even though things were uncomfortable and not perfect and really hard, I knew that’s ultimately what faith is: Trusting that God has us where we’re supposed to be and He’ll work in and through everything that we’re going through,” Hamilton told Sadie Robertson Huff.
“God’s continually molding us and shaping us and through our trials and tribulations. He’s working in and through us so that we can look to Him because at the end of the day, it’s not about what I do but it’s about what He is doing,” Hamilton continued. “I think that’s why the world can get it so wrong in that they don’t understand that God is working even in the dark stuff and He is in control.”
Hamilton has certainly faced her fair share of trials, having lost her arm to a shark attack when she was only 13 years old. While the event is responsible for her fame, she realizes that God would have been working through the accident no matter what, even if her story didn’t become popular, because it would have drawn her closer to Him.
For example, she relied on the Lord to help her overcome new fears when finding the courage to get back into surfing after the shark attack.
“[Fears] can blind you or stop you in your place or hold you back from just pursuing the good and beautiful things in life,” Hamilton said. “A lot of times our fears are just things built up in our heads. They’re not necessarily truth… To me, it’s like, first, look to God and see what He says; second, pray; talk to a friend. Just don’t hold it all inside because I think when we hold it inside, we end up [with[ this mental block.”
Related: Bethany Hamilton On Overcoming Fear: ‘God Has Overcome It All’
It is largely this overcoming of fear that makes Hamilton’s story so amazing. She has inspired millions of people around the world because she did not give up surfing and leave behind her passion after going through such a harrowing incident at such a young age.
“Living my life so much in the public’s eye has been extremely challenging and yet very beautiful at the same time!” Hamilton wrote on Instagram. “Receiving letters from people all over the world, saying I inspired them to keep going as they faced their hardship…led me to step outside of my comfort zone to encourage and bless others.”
Read Next: Bethany Hamilton Keeps Trusting God’s Plan 21 Years After Shark Attack
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