WORTH READING 10 May 2006

Scars of Love

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 and 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. 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-o-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.

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