Building Your Own House

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA
WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told hisemployer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building businessand live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extendedfamily. 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 couldbuild 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 anunfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect thehouse, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "Thisis your house," he said, "my gift to you."

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his ownhouse, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live inthe home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reactingrather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At importantpoints we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock welook at the situation we have created and find that we are now living inthe house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done itdifferently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think of your life as the 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 onlyone 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, do it tothe best of your ability."

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA
WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH

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