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 an effort to hang onto 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 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 you 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 person's 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
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Always Tell Your Family And Friends How Much You Love Them...
Love You All & God Bless!
Marion