The Builder
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire.
He told his employer-contractor of his plans
to leave the house building business and live
a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his
extended family. He would miss the pay-
check, but he needed to retire. They could
get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good
worker go and asked if he could build just
one more house as a personal favor. The car-
penter said yes, but in time it was easy to
see that his heart was not in his work. He
resorted to shoddy workmanship and used
inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way
to end his career.
When the carpenter finished his work and
the builder came to inspect the house, the
contractor handed the front-door key to the
carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my
gift to you."
What a shock! What a shame! If he had
only known he was building his own house,
he would have done it all so differently. Now
he had to live in the home he had built none
too well.
So it is with us. We build our lives in a dis-
tracted way, reacting rather than acting, will-
ing to put up less than the best. At important
points we do not give the job our best effort.
Then with a shock we look at the situation we
have created and find that we are now living
in the house we have built. If we had real-
ized, we would have done it differently.
Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think
about your house. Each day you hammer a
nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build
wisely. It is the only life you will ever build.
Even if you live it for only one day more, that
day deserves to be lived graciously and with
dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is
a do-it-yourself project."
Who could say it more clearly? Your life
today is the result of your attitudes and
choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be
the result of your attitudes and the choices
you make today.
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