Building Your House

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. 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 agreed, 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 contractor came to inspect the house, he handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.”

What a shock! 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.