Beautifully Flawed 2015

If you follow me on any social media then you already have an idea of where I was last week or if you randomly stumbled across this blog let me tell you what I was doing. I was roaming the sandy beaches of Del Mar, California, riding the waves in the Pacific Ocean with shark attack survivor and professional surfer Bethany Hamilton (maybe you've seen her in the movie about her life, Soul Surfer) and making new friendships with amputee women from all over the United States. What a wonderful, powerful, inspiring and encouraging few days it was.

It was late in the summer of 2013 that I applied to attend the Beautifully Flawed retreat not knowing it would forever change my life. Two and a half years and three retreats later and Beautifully Flawed is still making imprints on my heart. Beautifully Flawed is a retreat for young women with limb loss. It was hosted by the Friends of Bethany Foundation with Bethany Hamilton, Lauren Scruggs and Sarah Hill. If you have no idea who these women are I encourage you to check them out. All three of them have insanely powerful stories.

I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to partner with and share my story at the last two retreats. As I sat in a room full of beautiful women who all have stories of their own I could not help but be overwhelmed with the presence of God. Each one of those girls who surrounded me had to overcome something extremely hard, painful, and even very tragic; each of them, myself included experienced loss. Yet there we all were sitting in a beach house in beautiful California, laughing, loving on one another, looking past our scars and limb losses.

It was a beautiful experience watching the girls walk in ashamed of their limb loss and scars, trying to hide them behind prosthesis and baggy shirts to seeing them by the end of the weekend remove their prosthesis for the first time and accepting that God has amazing plans behind each scar. There is purpose in our pain.

The theme of the 2015 retreat was ‘thankfulness’ with the theme verse being 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

“Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”

…In all circumstances give thanks…

It is so easy to be thankful when life is great and going the right way. But what about when life throws you a curve ball? Let’s stop and think about that for a second. Think of something difficult, something hard that you have had to face, something that was out of your control, that hurt you to your core. Were you thankful during that time? Were you mad? Bitter? We are reminded in Thessalonians that we must be thankful in ALL circumstances. Not just the good ones but the difficult ones too.

You guys, some of the ladies on this retreat have stories that will just break your heart. A mother of two young children within the last six months lost all four of her limbs. A young girl with no right arm and no left hand is the happiest girl I have ever met. A girl who walks on a prosthesis that causes blisters still wears a smile on her face from ear to ear.

Now what did you complain about today?

Having to wash those dirty dishes? Be thankful you have food to eat.

Having to go to work? Be thankful you have a job.

Having to go to practice? Be thankful for your athletic ability.

Having to do laundry? Be thankful you have clothes to wear.

It honestly makes me sick to my stomach when I see and hear some of the things people complain about. I am pretty positive the young mother of two would love to wash dirty dishes with her hands again. I am sure the young girl who walks on a prosthesis would love to run on two legs that do not cause pain or blisters.

There is so much to be thankful for. We just need to stop and focus on how blessed we really are. Even during the hard times you can find something to be thankful for. It might not be easy but it is worth it. 

I am thankful to be a part of Beautifully Flawed. I am thankful for the friendships I have made. I am thankful for Bethany Hamilton and how she uses her pain and loss for a greater purpose. I am thankful God allowed me to lose my hand. God has a purpose in each of our painful stories.

Everyone has a story. Each story is different. Each story is unique. How do you choose to live out your story?

Are you more thankful for what you do have or do you focus more of your time on what you do not have?

Are you thankful in all circumstances or just the ones that go your way?

My favorite quote of the weekend was by Sarah Hill and I am going to pass it along and hope it challenges you too…

“God gave you the gift of 86,400 seconds today, have you used one of those to thank Him?”