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 not 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.