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, grabbed his gun, 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, 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.
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