Daily Encouragement For January 25, 2012

Some years ago on a hot summer day a little boy in south Florida decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he jumped right in, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, where an alligator was swimming. His mother looked out the window saw the alligator quickly approaching her son.

In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling for her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn toward 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 pass by in his truck, he heard her screams, grabbed his shot gun, raced from his truck, aimed and shot the alligator. His mother grabbed her son and quickly rushed him to the hospital. Miraculously, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely
scarred by the vicious attack. On his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to her dear son.

A newspaper reporter interviewed the boy after the trauma, he asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with 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 learn something from that little boy. We have scars, too. Perhaps, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic. But, we have scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused deep wounds. But, some wounds appear because God never let's go. In the midst of your struggle, He has held on to you so tight, promising to never let you go.

Scripture teaches that God loves you. If you have received Christ as your personal Savior then you a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous waters. The swimming hole of life is full of alligators charging for the attack, that is when the tug-of-war begins, and if you have the scars of His love on your arms be very, very grateful that He did not and will not ever let you go.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.” -John 10:27-30.