scars of life

 

 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 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.

 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 father's

 fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son

 he 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

 Dad 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.

 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 soooo 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.