Monday, November 2, 2009

The Scars of Anger Can Last a Lifetime


Today I offer a story about how anger can disrupt our lives and hurt those we cherish and love the most.


The Fence
Author Unknown


There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily, 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. He said "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. Make sure you control your temper the next time you are tempted to say something you will regret later.

5 comments:

  1. awesome entry, one that should be read by all!

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  2. What a simple yet clear way to express the hurt ones temper can create. Perfect for me - I'm sorry to say I needed some nails to hammer in the fence today. Thank you.

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  3. Great post as always, keep them coming :)

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  4. Hi there. Thanks for sharing this story. As often as we try to keep our anger at bay...I wonder what happens if we are the fence itself and not the one hammering the nails... I would like to think that there can be healing and that the wounds would go away. It hasn't for me, but I can keep crossing my fingers... Great blog by the way :)

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  5. Thank you everyone. This story spoke to me because I have at times I hate to admit have lost control of my anger but I have learned to deal with the anger and not let myself get to that point. I have learned that true peace is in knowledge and forgiveness. Wasting our lives and our time on these feelings is not healthy and it can deeply hurt the ones we love the most.

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Sing to the LORD, all the earth;
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1 Chronicles 16:23

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