Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as
for the Lord rather than for men…Colossians 3:23
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 and 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 and 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 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.
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 tomorrow will be the
result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.
Scripture to Claim:
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with
all your might, for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol
(the place of the dead), where you are going.
Ecclesiastes 9:10
