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 and 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. Then 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
careful 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."
We might have scars on our bodies from a battlefield or some other
event that shows us that Jesus Christ would not let go of us. However, we
do know that as Christians Jesus Christ will never let go of us. The marks
are not on our bodies but on his. Place your hand in the nail-scarred
hand. (Davon Huss)