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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 ask 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." 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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