"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you." (Eph. 4:31-32)

A recent Sports Illustrated article painted a vivid picture: A stress fracture begins when the shocks and strains of playing game after game create microscopic cracks in the outer layers of bone usually in the legs and feet. If the pounding continues and those tiny crevices, which often go undetected, aren't allowed to heal, they can enlarge. When the cracks become large enough to cause pain, they are stress fractures.

So it is with our lives. Let us be careful to let our little hurts and disappointments heal so that the tiny cracks do not become debilitating stress fractures. (From The Finishing Touch, by Charles A. Swindoll, p. 86-87)