HOW
ARE YOU BUILDING YOUR LIFE?
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.
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