An Old Story .....

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, 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.

Please pass this on to those you love. God has blessed you, so that you can
be a blessing to others. You just never know where a person is in his/her
life and what they are going through.

Never judge another persons scars, because you don't know how they got them.
Also, it is so important that we are not selfish, to receive the blessings
of these messages, without forwarding them to someone else.

Right now, someone needs to know that God loves them, and you love them, too
- enough to not let them go.

Forward by Elena Ho

Choo Choo Train :-)