"Heart of a Soul Surfer"

Bethany Hamilton is such an inspiration to people.

I was watching "Heart of a Soul Surfer," a documentary about pro surfer Bethany Hamilton, whose arm was bitten off by a shark. The documentary is a special feature on the "Soul Surfer" DVD I bought.

I remember reading abut Bethany Hamilton's saga when it happened, when she was only 13 years old. I remember hearing about how strong a Christian she is, and her mainstream "Soul Surfer" movie even talks about her faith and includes a couple of church services.

The part of the documentary I found fascinating was that Bethany and her mom said that when Bethany turned 13, they started to pray about God's will for her life. She wanted to be used for God but wasn't sure how to go about it.

Bethany said it was only two weeks after they started praying that God answered their prayers - with her getting her arm bitten off.

You see, when Bethany's arm was bitten off she received gobs of media attention. Even through the years it hasn't left. That media attention meant that Bethany could talk about her faith in Jesus in all kinds of venues, and no one cut her down for it.

I was almost flabbergasted that Bethany said losing her arm was an answer to prayer. That was the most beautiful, positive statement I think I have ever heard.

God answers prayers, even in ways we don't expect. And more importantly, God has a plan for his children, and he works everything out for good.