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Such a beautiful story and meaning...My sil sent this to me....

SCARS  OF  LIFE

Some years ago, on a hot summer 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 him from 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,
God's been there holding on to you.

The Scripture teaches that God loves you.
You are a child of God.
God 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  God's love on your arms,
Be very, very grateful. God 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 person's scars,
Because you don't know what they are going through
Or how they got those scars.

That's a beautiful story.  Thanks for posting it.

A touching story and an often needed reminder.

Thank you

I've read this before, but it's always good to reread and remember!!  Thanks for posting it.

First time I have seen this one, quite touching.

Thank you Lord for holding on to me!

Don