12/27/2011

The Nails On The Fence


Source: Daily Life's Inspiration

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. 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 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.

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 this one.” 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. Make sure you control your temper the next time you are tempted to say something you will regret later.

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Kung paputok ang pag-uusapan, ang bibig ng tao ay ang pinakamalakas na paputok. Malalim na malalim ang sugat na maidulot ng matatalas na mga sinasalita nito. Matagal na panahon ang kailangan upang maghilom ang mga sugat na dulot nito, at kung sakaling maghilom man, nagiiwan ito ng matinding peklat sa puso ng mga tao.

In leading a people into nation building, one's words should be truly uniting instead of being divisive. One can uphold justice and fairness without sacrificing and trampling mercy and kindness. As the Lord is, so should his people ought to be. The Lord is tough against sin, yet he is merciful towards sinners. A merciful heart bleeds as it carries out justice against its brother or sister.

All authority comes from the Lord. No one sits in power unless the Lord allows it to happen. The Lord allows, and the Lord disallows. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. No one should think that he/she owes his authority to any man, for it is the Lord who gives him/her the power and authority. Therefore, anyone who is given power or authority should conduct himself/herself in the fear of the Lord. No one sees the secrets of the heart but the Lord alone. The Lord hates secret schemes, and thus those whom He has given power and authority also are supposed to hate secret schemings.


Use nails not to create destructive holes on the fence. Use nails to build and strengthen not just the fence but the nation -- and only the nails of unity can achieve this through a leader that is uniting instead of a divisive one.