Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida
a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming
hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the
cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind
shoes, socks, and shirt as he went.
He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam
toward the Middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming
toward the shore. His mother in the house was looking
out the window saw the two as they got closer and
closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the
water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could.
Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and
made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late.
Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.
From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by
the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs.
That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two.
The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but
the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer
happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from
his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.
Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital,
the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred
by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms,
were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails
dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the
son she loved.
The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after
the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars.
The boy lifted his pant legs.
And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter,
"But look at my arms. I have great scars on my
arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn't let
go."
You and I can identify with that little boy. We have
scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars
of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly
and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds,
my friend, are because God has refused to let go.
In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding
on to you.
The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are
a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide
for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wade
into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead.
The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and
we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's
when the tug-of-war begins - and if you have the scars
of His love on your arms be very, very grateful. He
did not and will not ever let you go.
God has blessed you, so that you can be a blessing
to others. You just never know where a person is in
his/her life and what they are going through. Never
judge another persons scars, because you don't know
how they got them.
Right now, someone needs to know that God loves them,
and you love them too~~~~~enough to not let them go.
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