Sunday, November 30, 2008

Received in an e-mail I receive every day

"To be Thankful – You Must First Learn About Your Scars" sent in by Karen A of Florida...

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 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.

Reminding you that we should all view our scars as growth as you move along your path. And that we should be thankful for them as they are helpful in our growth to achieve what we are here for in this world.

HAVE A TERRIFIC SUNDAY!!

6 comments:

DeniseinVA said...

That is an incredible story and one we should all take note of. Thank you so much for sharing it. I will send this to my family and friends. I know they will enjoy it as much as I did.

My continued prayers to your dear hubby Abe for his speedy recovery, and to you as I know when we have a loved one who is in the hospital, we need those prayers too. God Bless!

Twisted Fencepost said...

Great post Patty.
I love that story.

Winifred said...

I enjoyed that.

Lit a candle for you both today.
Night and God Bless.

Renie Burghardt said...

Beautiful story, Patty!

Have a good night.

Renie

Wanda said...

How beautiful...the power of a mother's love.... so like God's love.

What an inspiring post...Thanks Patty.

LOL:)Wanda

yamini said...

Hi Pat, Beautiful story it is. It teaches us to be thankful for all the things in life, whether positive or negative because in the end, we end up wiser.
Take care and how is Abe doing?