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 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  

A 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, 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.

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 how they got them.  Also, it is so important that we are not selfish, to receive the blessings of these messages, without forwarding them to someone else.  Right now, someone needs to know that God loves them, and you love them, too - enough to not let them go.  

GOD BLESS YOU

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Natural Highs

1. Falling in love.
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket.
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail.
 7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry).
12. A bubble bath.
13. Giggling.
15. The beach.
16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
17. Laughing at yourself.
18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you
19.. Midnight
phone calls that last for hours.
20. Running through sprinklers.
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.
23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS
24. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
25. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
26. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).
27. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
28. Playing with a new puppy.
29. Having someone play with your hair.
30. Sweet dreams.
31. Hot chocolate.
32. Road trips with friends.
33. Swinging on swings.
34. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
35. Making chocolate chip cookies.
36. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
37. Holding hands with someone you care about.
38. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change..
39. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.
40. Watching the sunrise.
41. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day...
42. Knowing that somebody misses you...
43. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
44. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.

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Sometimes we just need to be reminded!

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, 'Who would like this $20 bill?'

Hands started going up.

He said, 'I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this. He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.

He then asked, 'Who still wants it?'

Still the hands were up in the air.

Well, he replied, 'What if I do this?'

And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

'Now, who still wants it?'

Still the hands went into the air.

My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson.

No matter what I did to the money, you stil l wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.
We feel as though we are worthless.

But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE.

You are special
-
Don't EVER forget it.'

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Be patient with your enemies and forgiving of your friends.
       - Afghan Proverb

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