Encouragement: Soul Surfer Review

Okay,

So it’s been over three weeks since I have posted a blog on here … With good reason, though-I celebrated my 31st birthday this month. I know I have a hard time believing it myself. But it’s true. That being said, I have had a lot of visitors coming around to help me celebrate my special day. Some of them I’ve already discussed in previous posts.. You know who you are!

This past week was a college friend who traveled from Michigan to be with me. We had a great time, just hanging out and catching up. At times, we even went to the hair salon and took our own personal tour of Washington DC [from the car, mind you; because I have a wheelchair and my friend had a walker}

For my birthday, we ate at a Japanese restaurant and my parents surprised me with famous Georgetown cupcakes. All in all, it was in unforgettable birthday. Although it still amazes me how some friendships can last a lifetime while others change at the slightest glimpse of difficulty

Onto my real post topic, it’s dawned on me that I promised you my readers a personal review of the movie Soul Surfer.For those of you who aren’t familiar, the movie tells the harrowing story of professional surfer Bethany Hamilton. What’s so special about Bethany? Well for starters, she survived a terrible shark attack: not only that, she lost an arm in the process and still surfs. Even more remarkable, she is a living testimony for the power of Jesus to work in every believer’s life no matter what the circumstance.

The movie has an all-star cast with such big names as AnnaSophia Robb (Bethany), Helen Hunt (Mrs. Hamilton), Dennis Quaid (Mr. Hamilton), Lorraine Nicholson (Alana Blanchard, Bethany’s childhood best friend), Carrie Underwood (Sarah Hill, Bethany’s youth pastor and friend). The list goes on and on.

While it’s true a majority of Soul Surfer focuses on Bethany’s rise from the ashes, it also spends a great deal of time talking about perspective.One all my favorite scenes involves Carrie Underwood (Sarah Hill) talking about how Christians view the trials of life. To begin, she asked the youth group to identify some pictures. They were unable to because they had been magnified only to show part of the image . “Sometimes we are standing too close to it to see the entire picture,” she says. The long-term ramifications being that God knows what’s ahead and unfortunately we don’t. She reminds them of the significance of Jeremiah 29:11

Another scene featuring Carrie Underwood can be viewed here. It takes place shortly after Bethany’s return from the hospital. In this scene, a confused Bethany questions God’s will for her life. http://www.soulsurferthemovie.com/page/the-cast.html and then click on Carrie Underwood

Like all of us when change arises, we have difficulty making adjustments. Bethany was no different. At one point, she was offered a prosthetic arm in exchange for a interview; but when she tried using it to support herself on her board, she found it virtually impossible. But still she persevered and shortly before Thanksgiving, Bethany found her way to the water again and also returned to competition: during which time, the judges offered her a 5 min. head start into the water-a advantage she refused

“I don’t need easy, I just need possible,” Bethany once told her dad while learning to surf with one arm.

After a disappointing finish, she almost gives surfing up. But then she decides to get away and attend her youth group’s mission trip Thailand and help those impacted by the earthquake there. It is only then when she looks into the eyes of those whose lives are truly devastated, that she realizes how lucky she is and how giving back not only could impact her life, but the lives of those around her.

I could go on and on with the review. Instead, I will leave you with one final quote as it relates to her having only one arm…

“The list of things have to relearn is extensive, but the things you won’t be able to do are so small”