We got this story in the Elder's Quorum Newsletter today and as I was reading the story it really touched me and so I wanted to share it-you may have heard it before but please bear with me.
"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 fence.
"By the end of the first day the boy had drvien 37 nails into the fence. Over time, the boy deccided it was easier to hold his tmeper than to drive nails into fence posts.
"Finally, a day came when the boy didn't lose his temper. When he told his father, he congratulted him, and told the boy to pull out one nail each day he didn't lose his tmeper. Weeks passed and one day the young boy told his father that all the nails were done. 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. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave scars just like these. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one." -Anonymous
I liked this analogy very much and hope that I can be more thoughtful and mindful as to not leave holes in anyone else's fence. I have been the fence before and it does hold true-verbal wounds do not heal and I think, as in my case, they are not easily forgotten. Words can hurt very much and I hope that I can teach my kids to be mindful of the things they say so they don't hurt anyone's feelings. We need to be friendly and Christ-like to all we meet and in all we do.
2 comments:
Good story Derrinda.
rinda, this is very nice. very true how easily we forget about peoples feelings. thanks for sharing!
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