SCARS IN LIFE
Posted by: amazingraze <amazingraze@...>
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, 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 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. 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.