SCARS  OF  LIFE 

    
    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, God's been there 
     holding on to you. 
     
     The Scripture teaches that 
     God loves you. 
     You are a child of God. 
     God 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  God's love 
     on your arms, 
     be very, very grateful. 
     God did not and will not ever let you go. 
     
        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 what they are going through  or how they got those scars.

 Right now, someone needs to know that God
     loves them, and you love them, too.

--enough to not let them go .