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-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 - let you go. "For we do not have a
High Priest
[Jesus] who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in
all points
tempted as we are, yet without sin.
"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we
may obtain
mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:15-16