Build Wisely

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."

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.