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 that
was 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.
In the house, his mother was looking out
the window. She 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 a very
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. On his arms, there
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 the boy if
he would show him his scars.
The boy lifted his pantlegs. 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 right 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
is when the tug-of-war begins. If you
have the scars of His love on your arms,
be very, very grateful. He will not ever
let you go.
