Beauty in "Imperfection"

I watched Soul Surfer this week. Soul Surfer is about Bethany Hamilton, a surfer from Hawaii, who during a surf practice when she was 13, lost her arm to a shark attack. Yet she continued to surf.

As I think about this tragic accident, I cannot help but see the beauty.  Most people cringe when they see someone missing a limb. The thoughts flow through their minds: what if I was missing an arm? What if that had happened to me?

But as I think about it, I am amazed. I have no doubt Bethany went through a time of questioning. Who wouldn't question? But I have no doubts that it made her a stronger person. Why? Because she relied on God. She trusted God, even though He allowed her arm to be bitten off.

Instead of sulking in her loss, she went out and glorified God with what she did have. She served in Thailand, after a disaster, bringing aid to those people who lost much as well. She pressed on to prove to the world, but especially to those kids who had similar disabilities, that you can still accomplish much if you pushed yourself to not give up.

When I think about Bethany Hamilton, I think about beauty. Her "imperfection" has become a symbol of hope to many people around the world. Why? Because God allowed her to experience this and gave her the strength to push through it. Giving Him glory and shining His light through her.

Isn't this the same in our lives? True, maybe we haven't experienced such a tragic loss of a limb, but we all have our imperfections and losses. True sometimes the losses have to be voluntary rather than an accident. But nevertheless, the truth remains.

I think about my own losses and imperfections. My voluntary sacrifice of not graduating for the sake of my relationship with God. My being in Beaufort is a sign of loss for me. But it is also a picture of redemption and beauty. God took me out of the mud hole I placed myself in and placed me on solid ground. He is being glorified.

But like Bethany Hamilton, we have to use our losses as a means to glorify God. We have to allow Him to take our anxieties about them, let go completely, and allow Him to take control.

I know a girl with many scars. Scars that most would dub imperfections and a marred picture of beauty. But when I see them, screaming of their many stories, I see beauty. Why? Because God turned them into a beautiful picture of His grace. He shines His faithfulness and grace through those, letting us know that He will bring us through and He will use it for His glory