Nails In The Fence
A young kid named Brayan was well-known around the town for his strong anger. He would become angry about little things and let the anger control him.
One day, Brayan’s father decided that it was time to teach his son a valuable lesson about anger and its results. He handed Brayan a bag of nails and said, “Brayan, every time you get angry, I want you to hammer a nail into the old wooden fence in our backyard.”
Brayan looked puzzled but agreed to his father’s unusual request. The very next day, a disagreement with a friend made Brayan angry, and he stormed into the backyard, took a nail, and hammered it into the fence. The sound of the hammer echoed through the neighborhood.
On the first day, Brayan hammered a total of 37 nails into that old fence. Each nail represented a moment of anger that had gotten the best of him. His father watched silently, knowing that this was just the beginning of a valuable lesson.
As days turned into weeks, something remarkable began to happen. Brayan started to think twice before getting angry. He realized that he didn’t want to hammer more nails into that fence. The number of nails driven into the fence gradually decreased, and the once pristine wooden fence was now filled with scars from Brayan’s anger.
One day, after a long period of self-control, Brayan excitedly approached his father and said, “Dad, guess what? I didn’t get any anger at all today!” He said it with pride.
His father smiled and agreed. “That’s wonderful, Brayan. It’s time for the next step. For every day you keep your anger under control, I want you to pull out one nail from the fence.”
Brayan eagerly accepted the challenge. He carefully removed one nail from the fence, and then another, and another. Days turned into weeks, and with each passing day, the fence had fewer nails.
Finally, the day arrived when Brayan proudly announced to his father, “Dad, all the nails are gone!”
His father took Brayan by the hand and led him to the now-nail-free fence. He said, “Brayan, you’ve done well, my son. But look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. Just like those holes, when you say hurtful things in anger, they leave scars, too. Words spoken in anger can hurt just as much as a nail hammered into wood.”
Brayan looked at the fence, realizing the truth in his father’s words. He felt an ache of shame for all the times he’d let his anger get the best of him.
His father continued, “Remember, Brayan, you can apologize for your words, but the scars they leave behind may never completely heal. So, learn to control your anger, and always choose kindness over anger.”
From that day onward, Brayan worked hard to control his temper. He knew that he didn’t want to leave scars on the hearts of those he cared about. He learned that words could hurt deeply, and he chose to fill his life with kindness, understanding, and forgiveness. And so, dear children, the tale of Brayan teaches us that anger may be quick to rise, but it is wiser to let it go and choose kindness instead. Just like the fence with its scars, words spoken in anger can leave lasting wounds. So, let us all try to be like Brayan, choosing to be kind, understanding, and forgiving, for it is in these qualities that we find true strength and happiness
