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-o-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.