TRAGEDY TO TRIUPMPH JER 1: 19 And they shall fight against thee: but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord to deliver thee. THAT OCTOBER DAY in 2003 probably started out as an average day for Bethany Hamilton, but average would not be the word to describe what would happen to her. Bethany was getting ready to go surfing with a friend and was in the ocean water lying on her surfboard. As she padddled along she felt a tug on her arm. When she looked, it was gone! She had been attacked by a shark. This was the beginning of Bethanys tragedy and the event that would change her life forever. After Bethany made it to shore and underwent medical treatment, she fond she had to find her balance all over again to adjust for the missing limb. She worked hard, trying to adjust physically and mentally. Amazingly, within a few weeks of the accident she was back out surfing. How could she do that? In many of the interviews with gher following the attack, she consistently gave credit to god and expressed gratefulness for His impacting her life in spite of the tragedy. Each time I think of what she went through and her response, Im amazed all over again. Just as it says in Psalm 99, The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. (NKJV) When Ive gone through my own difficult times, it has helped me to focus on God. He has blessed me with His presence, and Ive been assured that He was with me. Many times He would also bless me with friends who helped to carry me, encourage me, or even to straighten me out. Many of these situations required me to pray for the Lord to change my attitude or the way I looked at my situation. It was a matter of changing my perspective of the situation. He can turn our tragedy into triumph Is there something that you need to take to the Lord? Trust Him. When God does make something tragic turn into a triumph for us it helps us to understand His awesome love and grace a bit more. We, in turn, can reach out to those who are going through their own personal tragedies and offer them the same peace that Bethany has experienced. I pray that God will be with Bethany and continue to bless her as she blesses others with her story. And we too have a story to share that can be a blessing... WISHING YOU ALL THE VERY BEST.... JESSICA MARIE J. PAULINO.....
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 21:18:52 +0000