Scars
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.
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His father working in the yard saw the two
as they got closer and closer together.
In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling
to his son as loudly as he could.
Hearing his voice, the little boy became
alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father.
It was too late. Just as he reached his father,
the alligator reached him. From the dock,
the father grabbed his 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 father,
but the father was much too passionate
to let go. A farmer happened to drive by,
heard his screams, raced from his truck,
took aim and shot the alligator.
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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, were deep scratches where
his father's fingernails dug into his flesh
in his effort to hang on to the son he loved.
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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 Dad wouldn't let go."
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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,
because GOD loves you.
You are a child of GOD--
HE wants to protect you, and
provide for you in every way,
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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,
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.
<====================>
I thank, You My Father, for the Scars~~
Your~Son~in~Jesus~~John-Paul
Created with love: Rachel
Scars can lead us to grow in the Lord,
we have to let HIM heal them first.
