Scars of Love

[Guest guest]

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, who was in the house 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

>onto 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. 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.

>

>Be blessed, and pass this onto someone else.