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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, 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. If you have Christ in
your life you have become a child of God. He wants to protect
you and provide for you in every way.
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.
If you see someone without a smile, stop... and give
them yours.
God
has blessed you, so that you can be a blessing to others.
You are welcome to pass this story on.
Received
on February 20, 2001 from Margaret M. of Cedar Rapids, Iowa
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