-Author Unknown

There once was a little boy who had a very bad temper. One day, after an angry outburst, 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 back of 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, removed from the fence.

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 the nails have in this fence. 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.”

The little boy then understood how powerful his words were. He looked up at his father and said, "I hope you can forgive me, father, for the holes I put in you.”

"Of course I can," said the father.

Forgiveness comes easy for many people. But the scars made in the past--they never go away.

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Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.  Ephesians 4:29 NLT

It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.  Matthew 15:11 NLT

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. James 1:19-20

Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.  Proverbs 29:11 NLT