I received this e-m from a well-meaning JW friend who hasn't cut me off and seems to still have hope I will return. Should I reply? Any ideas on what I should say?
Jehovah will never let go of us. It's up to us not to let go of Jehovah. 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. 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. Inthe 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.
Please pass this on to those you love. 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.