SCARS IN 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 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. Please pass this on to those you love.
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. Also, it is so important that we are
not selfish to receive the blessings of these messages without
forwarding them to someone else.
Right now, someone needs to know that God loves them, and you love them too
...enough to not let them go
Thank you. Kathryn aka TxMagnolia
by way of Cynthia
