The Carpenter

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer (a building 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 a dedicated career.

When the carpenter finished his work the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter. 'This is your house', he said, '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'd do it much differently. But we cannot go back.

We are the carpenter. Each day we hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Life is a do-it-yourself project, someone has said. Our attitudes and the choices we make today, build the house we live in tomorrow. Let's build it wisely!