Christian Reflection and Prayer

There is a story told about a boy who didn’t behave
very well. In fact, this boy was a bully in every way –
constantly hurting others with words and with blows.
One day, his mother got advice and put it into action.
That day she told her son that every time he hurt
another person, she would put a nail in the wall of his
bedroom. At first the boy was pleased – what a
lenient punishment! But after time, as the wall grew
covered with ugly nails, he started to feel bad about
himself and his deeds.

What could he do to get those nails out, he asked
his mother. She explained that for every good thing
he did, such as apologies or kind deeds, she would
take one nail out of his wall. The boy began and was
encouraged as the nails slowly disappeared. Finally
the last nail came out.

But the boy was still sad. After all that hard work,
there were still holes in the wall. The nails could be
removed, but there was nothing to hide the holes
that remained.

The lesson of this story, is that while second chances
are nice, they are not always possible. Sometimes we
make poor choices that are irreversible. We can repent
and we can be forgiven, but consequences remain. So
count to ten when you get angry or find other ways to
vent your frustrations before lashing out. There are
things in life that we can change, but there are
consequences that we can’t.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

(excerpts taken from Holy Land Moments)