SCARS

This was passed on to me from a good friend. Like her, I had to share it!

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.
"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted
among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalms 46:10