‘Soul Surfer’ Bethany Hamilton says choosing to adapt in trials is key to finding peace

Liberty University welcomed professional surfer and author Bethany Hamilton to the Vines Center stage during Convocation on Wednesday morning. Hamilton, who lost her arm during a shark attack at the age of 13 but continued winning awards in her sport, spoke about how she learned to adapt to her trials and challenges and focus on God.

Hamilton recalled the time she attempted to surf her dream wave — a large wave she called Jaws, the size of a house — but was sucked under and pulled around, unable to get out of the wave’s hold. When she finally came out of the water, five more waves were coming her way.

“I had a lifetime of preparation for a moment like that,” she said. “Sometimes when you’re out in the surf it can be complete mayhem. I feel like sometimes life feels like these chaotic moments in the ocean. … I want you to be ready for the chaos. I want you to be ready for the five-wave set.”

Hamilton shared clips from her 2018 documentary “Unstoppable” which told her story of overcoming the tragedy of losing her arm.

“This was not the plan I had for my life,” she said. “There’s likely going to be things in your life that aren’t a part of your plan. So how can we turn this chaos and overwhelm into peace? How can we face adversity with resilience? How can we adapt when life gets crazy and super hard?”

Hamilton shared her ADAPT framework, which focuses on five key steps to help handle trials and live a resilient life. The first step is “appreciation,”  waking up and being grateful for the life we have, no matter the circumstances. She said when she woke up in the hospital after losing her arm, she was grateful to be alive. She told the students that God has never said life would be easy, but He calls them to be grateful and know that His grace is sufficient.

“One thing that can be bring peace amongst all the chaos is knowing God’s grace, His forgiveness, His peace, His love,” she said. “That is what will change you to face the adversity with a whole new level of appreciation.”

The second step is “direction,” and she pointed the students to find direction in Scripture and trust God, quoting Proverbs 3:5-6.

“God has a plan for each and every one of you to know Him and to be loved by Him,” she said. “(God) wants you to have a good and healthy direction, so dive into God’s Word and know His plan for you. If you feel directionless, God’s will will bring you direction.”

Thirdly is “associate,” which means finding community for support to face adversity and have resilience. She said as a mom and a wife, she leans on her family and friends to face trials she can’t overcome on her own.

The fourth step is “perseverance.” She read from Hebrews 12:1-2 and James 1:12 to encourage students to run with endurance and persevere through hardship.

“It’s so easy to get caught up in the here and now and the little things each and every day. But take some time to ponder what you want for your life,” she said. “When the five-wave set comes, it’s not going to last 15 minutes like it does in the ocean. Sometimes it can be years of trial and challenge and hardship, and that’s when the true persevering kicks in.”

She said she could have given up on surfing but decided to persevere, and that led her to see God work through her life in beautiful ways.

“When each of us keeps going through those hardships, we have a ripple effect on one another,” she said. “When the going gets tough, let’s run this race with endurance. Let’s look at God to be the author and finisher of our faith, so when we feel like giving up, we can keep going because we know that we have a God who has more for our life.”

The last step was being “teachable.” She told the students her desire to be the best female surfer in the world motivated her to learn because she knew that if she implemented her coach’s feedback, learning from her mistakes and acknowledging when she needed help, she would improve.

“When I lost my arm, my life could have gone in so many different directions, but because I chose to adapt … and this changed the trajectory of my life. The ripple effect that my life had because I was willing to adapt turned into something so beautiful. While I believe the Lord orchestrated it, I still had to be willing to show up and do the hard work.”

Hamilton shared how she went on to write her book, “Soul Surfer,” which was later turned into a movie, and produce a documentary about her story.

She showed a video of her surfing the wave Jaws and succeeding because of her perseverance and hard work, then closed with a story of a girl named Alice who was suicidal. Hamilton mentored Alice and worked with her through the ADAPT framework, and Alice became a passionate painter who found hope for her life.

“The cool thing is it’s not about me at the end of the day,” she said. “It’s not about my success but more about what the Lord is doing through my life, through my willingness to adapt, to make the most of what I’ve got, to work through that five-wave set that feels unbearable at times. I want to encourage you to know that you too can adapt, you too can have a ripple effect, you too can allow God to work through your life and to make it something so beautiful and celebrate-worthy.”