第6章 Scars of Love

Anonymous

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,butthe 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.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.He's been there holding on to you.

The Scripture teaches that God loves you.You are a child of God.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.

Never judge another person's scars,because you don't know how they were made.

爱的疤痕

佚名

几年前的一个炎炎夏日，在美国佛罗里达州南部，有个小男孩要去自家房子后面一个形成已久的深水潭中游泳。因为迫不及待地想跳进清凉的水里，他飞快地从后门跑了出去，边跑边脱掉鞋子，袜子和衬衣，把它们随手抛在身后。

他一头扎进了水里，丝毫没有意识到自己游往潭中心的同时，一只鳄鱼也正朝岸边游来。小男孩的母亲当时在屋子里透过窗子向外看着，发现那只鳄鱼正向她的孩子步步逼近。在极度的惊恐中，她一边向水潭奔跑，一边声嘶力竭地朝自己的孩子呼喊着。听到她的呼喊，小男孩才猛然意识到了危险，立即掉头向岸边的母亲游去。可为时已晚。他的手勉强刚够到母亲的同时，鳄鱼已经追上了他。

在岸上，母亲拼命地拽着儿子的手臂，而此时鳄鱼也死死地咬住孩子的腿不放。一场母亲与鳄鱼之间惊心动魄的拔河较量开始了。鳄鱼的力气显然要比母亲大得多，然而母亲挽救儿子的信念无比坚定，无论如何也绝不放手。就在这万分危急的关头，一个农夫恰巧驾车经过，他一听到孩子母亲的尖叫便飞速从卡车上跳下，瞄准鳄鱼并开枪将其射杀。

奇迹般地，经过在医院一周又一周的抢救治疗，小男孩存活了下来。可是他的腿由于鳄鱼凶残的袭击而伤痕累累。不仅如此，他的手臂上也留下了深深的抓痕，那是在生死关头母亲为了牢牢抓住挚爱的儿子，以至于手指甲都掐入了儿子的肉中所留下的。

意外过后，这位死里逃生的小男孩接受了一位报社记者的采访。当记者问他是否愿意让大家看看他身上的伤疤时，小男孩挽起了自己的裤腿，腿上深深的伤疤暴露无遗。紧接着，他满脸自豪地告诉记者：“大家还是看看我的手臂吧，我的手臂上也有好多伤疤呢。这是妈妈在救我的时候留下的。”

听了这个小男孩的故事后，我们都会感同身受。其实我们每个人身上都有伤疤。只不过我们的伤疤并不是被鳄鱼咬的，或是任何如此戏剧性的事件所造成的，而是过往的痛苦经历所留下的。有些伤疤不堪入目，带给我们无尽的懊悔。但是，我的朋友，你可曾想过有些伤口是由于主舍不得你走而造成的。在你挣扎的过程中，主紧紧地抓住了你。

圣经告诉我们：主爱世人。世人是主的孩子。主总想方设法保护你，为你提供一切所需的。然而，在人生之路上，有时我们会稀里糊涂地步入危险的境地，全然不知前方是什么情况。生活的水潭危机四伏——而我们总忘了潜在的敌人在伺机而动。当较量开始的时候——如果你的手臂上有爱的伤疤，你应该心怀感激，他不曾也永远不会放弃你。

不要轻易对别人身上的疤痕下什么结论，因为那也许是爱的疤痕。

感悟手臂上的疤痕是妈妈救我时留下的，妈妈是我的守护神。