Lingering Damage

I guess this is a continuation to "what the tongue can do" blog I wrote recently. I've been thinking about the damages my unheld tongue created and it makes me sad for the pain I've caused. I recently read a story that I want to share with you.

The Fence

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. 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.

I thought this story illustrated what I wanted to share perfectly. When we say careless things in anger or just unintentionally, we hurt people. In a way, it is like driving a nail into their heart. Even when we apologize for the pain we caused and we are forgiven for it, the scare will always be there. So the lesson to take is to minimize the number of scars we leave behind.