Resurface: Grace Rising Above the Waves of Despair
| 🎬 Title & Year | Resurface (2017) |
| 🎥 Director | Josh Izenberg, Wynn Padula |
| 👥 Starring | Bobby Lane, Van Curaza, Martin Pollock, Jordan Long |
| 🕒 Genre / Runtime | Documentary, Short · 27 mins |
| 🔞 MPA Rating | TV-MA (or TV-14) |
| ✝️ Core Faith Themes | Wounded Healer, Common Grace in Creation, Burden-Bearing Fellowship, True Shalom |
| 📖 Key Scripture | Psalm 42:7, Psalm 107:29–30, Matthew 4:19, Galatians 6:2, Mark 4:39 |
Table of Contents
Exploring the Resurface Christian worldview began for me when I was pondering which documentary to share next, and a strong curiosity struck me: “Could this carry a similar resonance to Soul Surfer?” Despite its relatively short runtime, my intuition was spot-on. The severe adversity Bethany Hamilton endured in Soul Surfer—losing an arm to a tiger shark—undoubtedly left behind a profound trauma akin to PTSD. How, then, do wartime heroes confront their own PTSD, and how do they overcome it? Let us step into this journey together.
Analyzing the Resurface Christian worldview offers a profound perspective on how divine grace meets human suffering. The tragedy of war does not simply conclude when the gunfire falls silent and troops withdraw from the battlefield. In the clearing smoke, a far deeper, more fatal wound than physical injury begins: the invisible war of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Moral Injury. Released in 2017, the Netflix original short documentary Resurface is a masterclass in storytelling that, within a concise 27-minute runtime, poignantly captures the devastating scars of war and the miraculous restoration of the human soul pulled from the abyss of despair.
The documentary centers on Bobby Lane, a former U.S. Marine who deployed during the Iraq War. Suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and severe PTSD following repeated IED ambush explosions, his return home offered no peace. Instead, he found himself tormented day and night by auditory hallucinations, excruciating headaches, chronic insomnia, and uncontrollable suicidal ideation. Crying out, “My brain is trying to kill me,” he made a tragic resolution to end his life so as not to remain a burden to his family. There was, however, one final item left on his bucket list before departing this earth: catching just one wave on a surfboard.
To be completely honest, I have never once considered ending my own life. Such a thought should never be entertained. Yet, seeing Bobby Lane’s harrowing struggle made me earnestly try to comprehend just how agonizing and overwhelming his PTSD must have been for him to reach that brink.
A Soul Submerged in Deep Waters: The Limits of Humanity and the Weight of Despair
Bobby Lane’s torment evokes the deep spiritual quagmire confessed by the psalmist. Psalm 42:7 declares, “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” Veterans returning from war found themselves completely submerged beneath towering waves of guilt and terror that earthly applause and military medals could never wash away.
Deep human trauma cannot be fully resolved solely by sheer willpower, moral determination, or medication. The suicidal impulses Bobby battled demonstrate the utter limits and existential helplessness of fallen humanity exposed to worldly violence. This dark night of the soul, sinking into waters so deep one can scarcely breathe, reflects the state of utter despair prior to the Cross—a painful reminder that mortal beings cannot save themselves.
Among those reading this, some may also be walking through seasons of PTSD or debilitating anxiety, whether from the battlefield or other life traumas. While words fail to capture your pain, I hold immense respect and empathy for everyone fighting those invisible battles day by day.
The Wonder of Creation and the Calling into the Present
At what seemed to be the final chapter of his life, Bobby joined the Operation Surf program and stood before the mighty Pacific swell. The moment he mounted the surfboard and rode the colossal wave, a miraculous shift occurred. The terrifying nightmares, anxiety, and traumatic memories that tore through his mind around the clock vanished in an instant. Every fiber of his being was suddenly anchored entirely in the present—in the living wave right before his eyes.
The ocean holds a majestic power far beyond human control. Standing before the waves sculpted by God’s creative hand, human beings finally learn to surrender their illusion of control and yield to the rhythm of the waters. Stepping out onto the shore in tears, Bobby confessed that after riding that first wave, it was the first time he genuinely felt, “I want to live tomorrow.”
In Scripture, the sea is often a realm of chaos and dread, yet it is simultaneously a sacred stage where divine sovereignty is made manifest. Just as Jesus rebuked the violent tempest on the Sea of Galilee with the command “Quiet! Be still!” and the waters obeyed, the vibrant life force inherent in God’s creation acts as an instrument of common grace, gently soothing, ordering, and healing shattered human minds and hearts.
We are also reminded of Jonah, whose true repentance and transformation took place within the depths of the sea after being swallowed by a great fish. Furthermore, walking along the Sea of Galilee, Jesus called Peter, Andrew, and James—fishermen by trade—with the words, “Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.” Much like Bobby Lane, whose past life of trauma halted on the surf to begin anew, Scripture frequently reveals how encounters with the sea and waves marked the definitive turning points where biblical figures transitioned completely from their past into a transformed destiny.
Encountering Soul Surfer: Transcending the Shark Attack and the Nightmare of War
This profound healing upon the water naturally calls to mind another iconic surfer: Bethany Hamilton, the real-life figure behind Soul Surfer. Having lost her left arm to a shark attack at the tender age of thirteen, Bethany teetered on the edge of death. Yet, to reclaim her life and identity, she too had to return to the very ocean that nearly swallowed her.
Though the Moral Injury carried by the veterans in Resurface differs in nature from Bethany’s traumatic physical amputation, both endured the terror of death that surpasses human endurance. Just as Bethany trusted in God’s sovereign, good plan and climbed back onto her board despite losing an arm, Bobby Lane and his fellow veterans cast their wounded bodies and spirits into the roaring surf. In both accounts, the ocean—once the very ground of terror—is transformed under God’s providence into a sanctuary of resurrection and holistic healing.
Resurfacing: The Sacred Fellowship of Wounded Healers
The title Resurface carries a powerful double meaning: it signifies the soul rising back to the surface of the water to draw a fresh breath after being submerged in suffocating despair. Veterans who once isolated themselves in dark rooms contemplating death come together on the open water. Aided by comrades who have lost limbs or sustained traumatic brain injuries, they lift and steady one another, rebuilding the brotherhood and trust they feared was gone forever.
Just as Bethany Hamilton turned her wounds into instruments of comfort by embracing grieving children in post-tsunami Thailand, Bobby Lane transformed from a soldier preparing for death into a selfless mentor guiding other wounded warriors to the ocean.
As Galatians 6:2 exhorts, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” When we lay down our defenses and share one another’s burdens on the waters of grace, suffering does not end in tragedy; it is reborn as the sacred calling of the “Wounded Healer,” breathing life into others.
True Shalom Begins with Confronting Our Wounds
Earthly peace is merely the superficial absence of overt conflict. True biblical peace—Shalom—is the holistic restoration and fullness where broken wounds are made whole in God’s redeeming grace. Resurface and Soul Surfer bear witness that no matter how ferocious the waves of life become, when we relinquish human control and dive into the ocean of divine grace, our souls will surely resurface. This spiritual passage mirrors the epic trials found in the journey of The Odyssey and the enduring pilgrimage of The Pilgrim’s Progress.
Today, in our own unseen battles, we too may feel overwhelmed by waves of anxiety, depression, and self-condemnation. Yet God’s grace, far grander than our deepest scars, remains outstretched toward us. It is time to lift our eyes from the abyss of despair and draw a brand-new breath in the loving arms of our Creator.
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
What kind of wave are you standing before today?
Key Takeaways & Faith Insights
- The Valley of Moral Injury: The deep spiritual and psychological wounds left by war and trauma cannot be fundamentally healed by human willpower or pharmacology alone, but solely within God’s holy compassion.
- Healing in Divine Creation: When we surrender our ego before the uncontrollable ocean, the vitality of God’s creation draws our souls out of past trauma into the sacred gift of the present.
- The Calling of the Wounded Healer: As evidenced by Bethany Hamilton and Bobby Lane, those who have walked through the valley of suffering are transformed into conduits of grace, guiding others to the waters of life.
- Resurfacing in True Shalom: By confronting our wounds and bearing one another’s burdens beyond superficial worldly peace, our souls resurface to experience the fullness of Christ’s Shalom.
“I decided that I was going to kill myself. But I made a promise to myself that before I did, I wanted to surf.”
— Bobby Lane
Explore More Screen Devotions:
- 🎬 Movies: Explore Other Faith-Based Film Reflections
- 🎨 Animation: Spiritual Insights in Animated Films
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
