大象传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Rev Carolyn Skinner.

Good Morning.

I once heard a story of an alligator attack on a little boy who had gone swimming. His mother witnessed the terrifying events unfold and ran towards the water yelling to her son as loudly as she could. From the shores edge, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. Then began an incredible tug of war. The alligator was stronger than the mother, but the mother was too passionate to let go. A passer-by heard her screams and the alligator was shot. After weeks in hospital, the boy survived. The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy asked if he would show him his scarred legs. They were horrific. But then the boy said to the reporter 鈥淏ut look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms too. I have them because my mum wouldn鈥檛 let go.鈥�

Our scars tell a story. They make us who we are. I remember an interview with the British Paralympian Richard Whitehead when he was asked if he would go back in time and prevent his disability. Without hesitation he said no. If his life had taken a different course, he wouldn鈥檛 be the champion he is today.

You and I have scars too. They tell a story and they make us who we are. Some of those scars may be unsightly and have caused us deep pain. But could some scars be there because God, in his passionate love, has refused to let go?

Living God, thank you that you never let us go. Help us in the challenges of life to have eyes to see the strength that we can gain from this.

Amen