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TUG
OF WAR
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
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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.
“Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be
able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to
stand.” - Ephesians 6:13
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