I'm pasting this here as I received it, formatting and grammatical errors included . . .
This is beautiful!
Subject: Isaiah 41:10
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, 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 Jehovah has refused to let go. In the midst of your
struggle, He's been there holding on to you. 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.
Pass this on to those you love if you so desire. 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.
Right now, someone needs to know that Jehovah loves them, and you love
them too enough to not let them go.
You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give
