THE CARPENTER
An old carpenter was ready to retire. He told his boss of his plans to quit his job in the home construction industry and live a more pleasant life with his wife and his family. He would miss the salary he received but he wanted to retire.
The boss was sad to see a good employee retiring and asked him, as a personal favor, to build one last house. The carpenter said yes but over time he saw that his heart and effort were not in the work. He did not do his job well and selected poor quality materials. It was the worst house he had ever built in his life.
It was an unfortunate way to end his career. When the carpenter finished the job and the boss came to inspect, he opened the door for the carpenter, invited him in and said, “This is your house, my gift to you.”
What a pity! What regret! “If I had known that this house was going to be for me, I would build it differently” said the carpenter.
Now he had to live in the house he had built himself and it was a mess.
The same happens with us. We build our lives in a careless way, in a reactive way instead of positive. We wait instead of acting. We put much less than what we have in our efforts and live in a permanent complaint trying to blame others for our situation.
In important things, with family, friends, work, etc., we do not give the best we have. Then, to our surprise, we find ourselves living in the house that we ourselves have built. “If I had known, I would have acted differently” we thought.
Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about his house. Every day when you have to drive a nail or put up a wall, do it wisely, do it with love, and do it the best you have. It is the only life he will ever build. Even if you live for just one more day, that day deserves to be lived in a dignified and rewarding way.
“LIFE IS A SELF-CONSTRUCTION PROJECT”. His life today is the result of his past attitudes and decisions. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and decisions today.
Return to the main page of
catholic reflections
Sign in the guest book
Subscribe for free to Javier’s Catholic Web mailing list to receive weekly updates by email.