I recently found this story which touched me so I decided to share it with you today.

It’s the story of a small boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that each time he lost his temper he should hammer in a nail to the back of the fence.

The first day the boy drove 37 nails into the fence. As the weeks went by the boy hammered in less nails as he developed more self-control. He discovered that it was easier to control his temper than to drive in nails. Eventually the time came when he was able to be patient for an entire day.

After telling his dad about this victory the father suggested that he remove a nail for every day he could remain calm. The days passed and finally the boy told his dad that no nails were left in the fence.

His father took him to the fence and said, “You have worked hard son, but look at all these holes in the fence. It will never be the same. Every time you lose your temper you leave scars like these. You can stab a man with a knife and remove it but saying your sorry won’t take away the scar, no matter how many times you say it.”

A verbal offense is often as harmful as a physical one. Let’s be careful with those around us, they deserve our respect and consideration even when it is difficult to control our temper.

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12