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 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
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