too hurtful to forgive

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Other

The story begins with a father’s growing frustration in watching development of his young son and the seeming inability to control anger. One day the father, in pulling the boy aside, provided him a bag of nails and directed him to drive a nail through the fence every time he lost his temper. He asked only that the boy let him know when a full day passed without need for hammer and nail. Relenting to his father’s request, on the first day the boy drove more than 30 nails into the fence. Over the course of the following weeks, the boy hammered fewer nails as he learned to maintain his composure and, eventually, a day passed without a nail driving through the fence. The boy discovered it easier to control his anger than to continuously hammer nails through the fence.
Upon reaching this milestone, he told his father of his ability to check his anger. The father smiled and then suggested that the boy pull one nail from the fence for each day that he was able to hold his temper. Again, he asked only that his son inform him when no nails remained in the fence.
Days stretched to weeks and weeks ran into months when, finally, the young boy pulled the last nail from the fence. Sharing the accomplishment with his father, his dad took him by the hand in leading him back to the fence. As they stared together at the planks of wood disfigured over many months of abuse,

his father said

Well done, but take notice of all the holes left from the nails. This fence will never again look as it did before you hammered into it. When speaking in anger, you leave holes in people no different than these in the wood. You may – in time – earn forgiveness, but no one forgets unkindness. Some wounds cut too deep for tears, too hurtful to forgive. Remember this.