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 a trail of shoes,
socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as
he swam toward the middle of the pond, 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 gator
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.”
[We 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
or present difficulties hard to handle. Some of those scars are unsightly
and have caused deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God
has refused to let go. In the midst of our struggle, He’s been there
holding on. He did not – and will not – let His child go.]
~~
Dr Bob Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net
“Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!”