“for our light affliction is but for a moment which worketh for us a far more eternal and exceeding weight of glory”

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 that was behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out through 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.

In the house, his mother was looking out through the window. She 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 a very 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. On his arms, there 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 the boy if he would show him his scars.

The boy lifted his pant legs. 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, 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 right 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 is when the tug-of-war begins. If you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He will not ever let you go.

Albeit, I think too many people look at the scars that are below – the alligator scars. While I believe it is important that one should look at those scars to be reminded of how necessary it was to look before you leap, I also believe that focusing on them will ultimately drive the wrong message across.

You will never dive into the waters of life and as such never discover new boundaries because “New land (possibilities) are usually discovered only after one has lost sight of the old horizon.” i.e. you need to be willing to let go on what you might have experienced or suffered negatively before to be able to break new ground and discover fresh and positive experiences.

You cannot successfully drive forward while looking continuously in the rear-view mirror. The only condition for not getting a harvest next year is not to sow this year. Interestingly, if the woman had given up on her son just before the farmer came along, she’d have blamed herself forever for letting go. Why do we then give up on ourselves perceiving the damage done on our lives by previous experiences as fatal and terminal? Why don’t we give chance a chance? If you are a-live to tell it, then you must be Able to LIVE it.

You never know where a person is in his/her life, and what they are going through. Never judge other persons scars, because you don’t know how they got them.


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