Will You Take the Next Wave?

When something bad happens to us, there's a tendency to want to shrink back and tend to our wounds. We can get angry or down on ourselves and stay small.

On the flip side, if we have a big ego, we can try to play things off and get stuck in a victim mindset. And then we puff ourselves up, trying to cover up our hurt and not allowing ourselves to learn, grow, and change from negative events.

But there is a better way, and I think it's contained here:

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

Philippians 2:3-4

Some people don't care a philipp about other people. (see what I did there? hehe) I think if you're reading this, you probably sincerely seek to serve and love people better and better every day. So as we're building that business, going for that goal, or getting that degree, our primary goal should be how to be of greater service to others.

I recently learned about a surfer named Bethany Hamilton who lost a limb to a shark attack.  Maybe you heard about her as a sad story on the news. But there's a greater story that got made into several books and a movie you can Netflix called Soul Surfer. Not only did her faith withstand the horrific tragedy, she continues to surf today. See Bethany's Statement of Faith. She didn't focus on herself. She built a non-profit, Friends of Bethany to reach out. I particularly love this yearly retreat they put on for girls who deal with limb loss, called "Beautifully Flawed" see the video below:

Bethany has a testimony of action. It encourages me to look carefully at every negative scenario in my life and ask myself, "How can help others who are struggling in a similar situation?:

What if you took the single worst thing that ever happened to you, faced it, and poured faith, love, and grace all over it?  

Would it come out looking like a day of service, or even... a non-profit? Be bold enough to let God turn your biggest weakness into an incredible strength in Him.

The first wave may bring devastation, but your next move is always up to you. Will you take the next wave? I hope you'll turn your next wave into a testimony of triumph.

If you liked this post, please leave me a comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts and learn more about what you're working towards, and how you're letting Bethany's story motivate you! You also might be interested in the Ambitious Christian Women group that's forming on Facebook. We are a small but mighty tribe of women encouraging each other to serve God with everything we've got.