"One Life To Give"

An aging carpenter was getting ready to retire. He told his contractor/boss of his plans and said that he wanted to live a more leisurely life with his wife…enjoying his children and grandchildren. He would miss the paycheck, but he could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see such a skilled craftsman 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 door keys to the old man. "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 with all the mistakes that he had made.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted manner, reactive rather than proactive, willing to settle for less than the best. At the most important times we do not give the job our best effort. Then one day, with a shock, we look at the situation we have created and find that our life is exactly as we have made it. If we had realized, we would have done it differently.

Think of your life as that house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. Each of us knows the circumstances around which we'd like our life to finish. We'd all like to think that we will have a home in heaven one day. We are given only one life to devote to that end. Are we moving toward that circumstance or are we distracted by the cares of life when we should be attentive to our greater objective.

Remember what Paul said to the Romans in chapter 8 and verse 28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."