Oh, Be Careful Little Tongue

     As a small child I can remember our children’s choir singing the little song “Oh, Be Careful Little Hands What You Do”. Several verses offer admonition to our feet, our eyes, and finally our tongue. The verse ends reminding us that “the Father up above is looking down in tender love, so be careful little tongue what you say.” Such value can be found in this song of long ago. Focusing upon the verse warning us to be careful of the words we say, I came across this profound story that was written anonymously. It proficiently supports the theme of this precious song.

The Hole in the Fence

     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 in to 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 is 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; however, it won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.”