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.
Author Unknown
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