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 paycheck, 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
carpenter 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
distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing 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 realized that
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." Your life tomorrow will be the result of
your attitudes and the choices you make today.
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