The story is a bit long, but bear with me, it has a point.
Several years ago on a hot summer day in Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in a lake behind his house. As he ran toward the lake, he discarded his shoes, socks, and shirt so he would be ready to jump into the cool water. As he swam toward the middle of the lake, he was unaware that an alligator was swimming toward the shore.
As the boy’s mother watched from the window of their home, she saw her son and the approaching alligator. Terrified, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son at the top of her lungs. When he heard her warning, he turned around and swam toward the shore.
It was too late! Just as the young boy reached his mother, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the woman grabbed her son by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war. But even though the alligator was much stronger than the woman, she was much too passionate to let go.
As a passerby heard the woman’s screams, he stopped and shot the alligator. The boy survived, but spent many weeks in the hospital. His legs were severely scarred from the teeth of the alligator, and his arms had deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh as she tried to pull him away from the alligator.
When a reporter asked to see the boy’s scars, he pulled up his pant legs to show the bite marks of the alligator. But with great pride, he showed the reporter the scars on his arms. He said, “I have them because my Mom wouldn’t let go.”
I pray for my friends in the same way, whether I have seen their face or not. You may have scars from the alligator and you may have scars from life holding on to you. The scars from the alligator will fade I promise.