The Carpenter's House

This is one of my favourite short stories. It serves as a reminder of how we should treat ourselves and others on a daily basis.

“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 the time was right and he was ready to hang up the hammer.

His boss was disappointed as the carpenter had been a loyal and diligent worker for many years, so he was sad to see him go.

He asked for one last favor, requesting that the carpenter could build just one more house before retiring. 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, his boss 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. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

Photo by Dave Webb on Unsplash

So it is with us. We are all in the process of building our lives. Do we go about working with diligence or do we slack and put in slip-shod work, put in without effort? Do we go about working with passion or without caring? Do we do things with excellence, and take pride in our work? What kind of life do we want to build? What kind of life are you building?

Hence be very careful what you feed your mind. Watch what you read or look at, be discerning about what is good and what is not. Do not get into situations when you can become influenced by wrong values. Remember you are important and you must feed your mind with what is good and what is right. This will lead to right actions.

As difficult as his sounds, if you are not happy with your life, it is perhaps a consequence of what you've been building over the years! 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.

Build your life wisely!

I hope you enjoyed this post. Please like it to show your support. And If you are reading this without a subscription, please subscribe here:

With Love and Light Sheila.