meanin full msg

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
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 know 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 to 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 tommorrow will be the result
of your attitudes and choices you make
today