Living in Love and Truth

We can cling to Christ in the midst of our trials and challenges, recognizing that He lives in us and will go before us as we make the hard choices, walk through suffering, speak in His name, and act in His truth. 1st Peter 4 states (King James Version):
11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Bethany Hamilton is a championship surfer - the story of her life and her Christian faith were depicted on screen in a movie called, Soul Surfer, which presented a look at Bethany's survival of a shark attack and its aftermath; an attack in which she lost her arm.  Yet, she has continued to compete on a high level.

She has found another competitor recently, with a distinctly moral component: those who would allow men to compete in ladies' surfing...men who present themselves as being women!  A recent Movieguide article related:

“I’ve seen what’s going on in other sports and…I’m very much against that,” she said in an episode of Allie Beth Stuckey’s “Relatable” podcast. “I kind of hold to my values, and I stand firm with what I believe and try not…to deviate much in my life.”

The article went on to say:

She posted a video to Instagram earlier this year, saying, “This concerns me as a professional athlete that has been competing in the World Surf League events for the past 15 plus years, and I feel that I must speak up and stand up for those in position that may feel that they cannot say something about this.”

“Is a hormone level an honest and accurate depiction that someone indeed is a male or female?” Hamilton asked. “How did whoever decided these hormone rules come to the conclusion that 12 months of testing testosterone make it a fair and legal switch?”

As a result of the WSL policy, she has decided not to participate in any more of its events. 

The Movieguide article included past coverage of Hamilton's faith perspective.  The website noted:

Bethany Hamilton is sharing an important lesson about self-acceptance in a new Instagram post.

“Like many teens, I too struggled with the way I viewed my body,” she wrote. “I’d look at everyone else and think that I looked pretty different, especially because of my arm. And maybe even still to this day at times.”

She shared a Scripture passage from 1st Corinthians chapter 6 that according to the article, "encourages here in low moments: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

In a blog post, entitled, Made for More, found on her website, Bethany related praying to God, with her mother beside her, when she was 13: “God, I want my life to be more than just surfing. I want to honor you with my life. I don’t know what that looks like, but help me figure it out.”

She wrote:

Little did I know that 2 weeks later, I would lose my arm.

God brought me on a journey of learning to push through some of the hardest challenges and accomplish some crazy fun things! He used this wild and devastating experience to give me a neat platform to share my story and be a reminder that we all can overcome.

I want to share one of my favorite verses that helped me in my journey:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

She went on to relate:

I love this verse because it’s a reminder that this world is not perfect. We’re all going through tough stuff and that’s why we need to trust in God and come to Him with our problems.

This verse is not saying we get to bypass the hard stuff. It’s saying that through the hard stuff we go through we can trust in the Lord’s promise that he has died and overcome death on our behalf, Christ overcame all our wrong doing and has made us whole again.

So, in our times of discouragement and disappointment, we can remember that we are loved by God and that He wants the very best for us, for His glory.  As Bethany shared, life will not always be easy - there will be "hard stuff" that comes.  But, we can be reminded to look to the one who has overcome all the manifestations of this fallen world and walk with joy and faith, looking to Jesus, who is described in Hebrews as the author and finisher of our faith.  Philippians tells us He's begun a good work in us and He is faithful to complete it.  We may be a work in progress, but we can trust that He is working.

And, our faith will also result in action - action that might make us uncomfortable. Such as speaking out on behalf of women who are being treated unfairly in athletic competition because of a societal departure from God's perfect plan for male and female.  A distortion of His created order.  Our willingness to speak out may make other people uncomfortable, too, but when God directs us, we can be a voice for truth and righteousness.