Waiting On God

Waiting is part of our ongoing walk with Jesus. We aren’t comfortable with waiting, because we feel like it’s pointless—or worse, that we are missing out on key opportunities as we wait. However, it’s in the waiting that God grows us into what he desires for us. God may be using that time to teach us to trust him again. The story of Bethany Hamilton illustrates this. At thirteen years old, Bethany was surfing off the island of Hawaii when she was attacked by a tiger shark, leaving her without her left arm. Devastated by the tragedy, Bethany questioned whether to continue surfing. However, she pressed on and figured out how to move forward while waiting on God. About a year following her accident, Bethany signed up with World Vision and boarded a plane, en route to tsunami-stricken Thailand. She spent the week serving the people of Thailand in many different ways, but perhaps the most memorable involved helping more than fifty children from the village she served at overcome their fear of the ocean by taking them surfing. In 2011, TriStar Pictures produced a full-length feature film telling her story.  Here is a good resource regarding Bethany Hamilton and her work.