One Hour as Bethany Hamilton

One reason I decided to take a break from Facebook? Complaints. Reading my newsfeed became very draining as it was filled with complaining ... my pie was too hot, my shirt is too wrinkled, the traffic is so bad and so on.

For family movie night this week we watched Soul Surfer, a film based on the true story of professional surfer Bethany Hamilton.

Her humility and courage were so inspiring. Though she understandably had her questions and struggles, she chose not to complain about her circumstances and instead decided to continue pursuing her passion. We were all impacted by her story. But I wondered if our girls truly understood the (physical) obstacles Bethany had to overcome to pursue her dream of professional surfing.

This morning, I taped each of their left arms down (this was the arm the shark bit) and set the timer for one hour. Just one hour.


I asked them to do simple tasks ... load the dishwasher, pick up their room, clear the table, etc. The timer buzzed ... I removed the tape ... and here are their reactions:

Moriah (5 1/2) : "It kind of bothered me. It was easy to pick up little things. It was hard to look at books. I am thankful that I have two arms. I think Bethany is brave."

Annalise (7): "I was tempted to take the tape off. I wanted to move my hand. It was hard to turn the page in my book when I was reading. It was hard to hold a lot of things at one time. I couldn’t really hold Eloise. When I took the tape off, I said, “FINALLY!” It was so irritating. I feel thankful that I have two arms."

Verity (9): "It was kind of fun doing the experiment but it was really hard to read a book. It was easy to comb my hair but it was really annoying when a bug bite itched badly but only my left arm could reach it. I couldn’t hold Eloise. I feel relieved, thankful and happy that I can use both arms again. I think Bethany is really brave and I want to be a surfer like her when I grow up."

What did you think of the film? Have you taken time today to thank God for any blessings you've taken for granted lately?