The world is far from being a perfect and safe place—and, life is not always fair. We all experience wounds that leave us scarred. For me, the wounds I regret the most are the ones caused by my inability to face and deal with my pain. To cope, I simply avoided painful situations and relationships. My defenses were nearly impenetrable. But instead of saving me, my defensive walls, those protective barriers I erected to keep myself safe, in the long run caused me the greatest hurt of all. So thankful God, my heavenly Father, never left me alone—He never let go.
Some years ago, on a hot summer day in south Florida, a young boy decided to go for a swim in the large ole swimming hole behind his house. He loved to swim there and did it often – nearly every day.
In a hurry to dive into the somewhat cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind a trail of shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He dived into the water not realizing, that as he swam toward the middle of the little 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 father’s voice, the young boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his dad. It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him.
From the dock, the father grabbed his young son 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 driving by heard the screams, slammed on his brakes, and grabbed his hunting rifle from the gun rack in his rear window. He raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.
Remarkably, after weeks in the hospital, the young 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 had dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved.
The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy sometime 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 big scars on my arms, too. I have them because my dad wouldn’t let go.”
Author Unknown – Embellished by Me
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.
God has blessed you so that you can be a blessing to others. You just never know where a person is in their life and what they are going through. Never judge another person’s scars, because you don’t know how they got them.
Right now, someone needs to know that God loves them, and you love them, too—enough to not let them go. Always Tell Your Family And Friends How Much You Love Them!!!
We’ve seen a lot of scared lives working in recovery ministry and over and over again we have witnessed how God is always there to heal our hurts as we place our trust in our heavenly Father who loves us dearly.
“To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Isaiah 61:3