The Carpenter

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, 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
reasult of your attitudes and
choices in the past. Your life
tomorrow will be the result of
your attitudes and the choices
you make today.


~copied from anywhere^^