THE SCARS OF LIFE

THE 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.



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.