Scars of Life
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
Mom wouldn't let go."
You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No,
not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic.
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 here
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. 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
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.
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