The scene took place in Thailand and was intended to capture a small glimpse of the mission work Bethany did for World Vision, post-tsunami, in 2005. In the movie, there was a young boy who was orphaned by the tsunami and fearful of the ocean, with perfect reason. While standing along the ocean shore, this young boy appears scared, timid, quiet, shy, and alone when Bethany decided to pursue his broken heart. She approaches the water and tries to gain his attention, through surfing, to attract him to the beauty of the ocean. Okay, here is the kicker...whether or not real life played out exactly like this scene, with Bethany specifically engaging a young boy the same age and size as the one shown in the movie, matters not, because the point is that there were hundreds of children who were orphaned by the tsunami...so if there wasn't specifically a little boy that she met in real life, she met other children and did the same for them as the movie showed her do for this young boy.
And what she did for these children is huge, really, really, really huge. A young woman who was also scarred by the ocean, in her own unique way, re-wrote hope in their hearts, broken by the same ocean that took her arm, and restored love in places that were so sensitive and aching in their souls. The tsunami orphaned hundreds, maybe even thousands of children, who many, sadly, witnessed their parents die in the ocean. I thought about Marabelle and instantly cried while imagining how terrifying the ocean would seem to a small innocent child whose last memory of the ocean is one surrounded by loss, anguish, and deep, penetrating pain. Bethany Hamilton's joyful heart, yearning to give back the same hope she was given in her own life and share it by serving others, began the healing process of these young and orphaned broken hearts, a testament like no other.
Her joy helped them forgive.
Her passion helped them trust again.
And her faith helped re-instill hope in their hearts.
All this made me think of my own life and my own faith and this upcoming Sunday, which just so happens to be a pretty big deal, as it's Easter Sunday. A day our media likes to accessorize with chocolate and treats, bunnies and eggs, but a day that in reality means SO much more than any of these trivial things. It's a day where hope was given to the world, mercy became attainable, forgiveness became possible, and love became eternal.
My faith is mine and your faith is yours, but if we don't give back what we have been given then the faith we hold onto so dearly becomes stagnant, never changing, never producing, never growing. But when we look at the heart of our faith, where it all comes from and what it all boils down to is a belief that someone gave it all away, someone sacrificed everything they had, someone took a chance on you, someone looked past my hurt, someone reached beyond your pain, just so they could tell the world that we matter and despite it all, we are loved more than we will ever know. In a world full of suffering and pain, my only hope is to trust in a God who is bigger than all of it, a God who knows much more than my reason can fathom, and a God who does not abandon me in my suffering, but one who holds me closer, tighter, and ever more near when I need Him most.
I don't know what Easter looks like for you or how you will celebrate this upcoming Sunday. I'm sure ours will include some variation of the ordinary and expected bunnies, chocolate, and eggs but you better believe ours will also include embracing the extraordinary, with Mass and much reflection, much prayer, and much gratitude to our God whose sacrifice gave the world and my heart, a hope like no other.
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| photo by the incredibly talented, Marianne Greig |
It's life changing when a single moment has a lasting impact on our souls...
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2 comments:
absolutely beautiful.
<333
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