Verbal pain

There was a little boy who was talented, creative and handsome, but he was also self-centred and had a very bad temper. When he got angry, he usually said, and often did, some very hurtful things. In fact, he seemed to have little regard for those around him, even for his friends.

As he grew, his parents became concerned about this personality flaw, and thought hard about what they should do. Finally, the father had an idea. He gave his son a bag of nails, and a BIG hammer. “Whenever you lose your temper,” he told the boy, “I want you to really let it out. Just take a nail and drive it into the oak boards of that old fence out back. Hit that nail as hard as you can!”

Those weathered oak boards in that old fence were almost as tough as iron, and the hammer was mighty heavy, so it wasn’t easy to do. By the end of the first day, the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Gradually, over a period of weeks, the number decreased. Holding his temper proved to be easier than driving nails into the fence!

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He felt mighty proud as he told his parents about that accomplishment. “As a sign of your success,” his father responded, “you get to PULL OUT one nail. In fact, you can do that each day that you don’t lose your temper even once.” Well, many weeks passed. Finally one day the young boy was able to report proudly that all the nails were gone.

At that point, the father asked his son to walk back with him and take one more good look at the fence. He said “You have done well, my son, but I want you to notice the holes that are left. No matter what happens from now on, this fence will never be the same. People are much more valuable than an old fence. They make us smile. They help us succeed. Some will even become friends who share our joys, and support us through bad time. That means we need to treat everyone with love and respect.”