building your house

an elderly carpenter was ready to retire. he told his employer contractor of his plans to leave the house building business, to live more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his extended family. he would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire. they could get by. the contractor was sorry to see  his good worker go & asked if he could build just 1 more house as a personal favor. he said 'yes', but over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. he resorted to shoddy workmanship & used inferior materials. when he finished his work, his employer came to inspect the house. then he handed the front door key to the carpenter & said "this is your house... my gift to you." the carpenter was shocked! what a shame! if he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.

so it is with us. we build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in the house we have built.  if we could do it over, we would do it much differently. but, you can not go back. you are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. someone once said," life is a do it yourself project." your attitude, and the choices you make today, help you built the house you will live in tomorrow. therefore build it wisely!