There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and
told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence.
The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually
dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive
those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his
father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for
each day that he was able to hold his temper.
The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all
the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. "You have done
well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the
same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You
can put a knife in a man and draw it out, it won't matter how many times you say
'I'm sorry,' the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical
one.
Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please
authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances
dictate.
E-mail from Tim Cove cove@panacom.com
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.