A friend sent me this story. On its face, it's about an alligator attack, but it's so much more than that. I don't know if it's true, but I do know from personal experience that such things can happen down here in Florida. Of course, you don't have to have an encounter with an alligator to get scars, and sometimes the scars aren't even physical. That's the part of the story that every exer can relate to.
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 and 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
pantlegs. 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, 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. Never judge another persons scars,
because you don't know how they got them.