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                I heard a story one time about a man who was a construction foreman for a wealthy financier.  The financier furnished the money and the foreman furnished the know-how.  Together they were in the building business.

                One day the financier called the foreman into his office.  He explained that he would be out of the city for a while and that while he was gone he wanted a house built.  He said, “Here are the plans, and I have deposited in the local bank under your signature $25,000 which is the architect’s estimate of cost.”

                The foreman took the plans, left the office and started to think.  He said, “All my life I have lived hand-to-mouth, payday to payday.  This could be my opportunity.  I know the building business.  I can trim some corners, save some money, put it in my pocket, and no one will ever be the wiser.”

                He made up his mind and that was what he did.  Pouring the foundation, he used the cheapest labor and cheapest material, and thought no one would ever know.  Roughing in the plumbing, he used the cheapest labor and cheapest material, and thought no one would ever know.  When he had finished, the house – which properly built would have cost $25,000 – had cost only $17,000.  He had $8,000 in his pocket and said, “No one will ever know.”

                His boss came home, and together they went to view the house.  After a while the financier said, “I didn’t tell you this before I left; I wanted it to be a surprise.  You have served long and well, and I wanted to show my appreciation.  This is your house.  Here is the key; you built it; you live in it.”

                In the months ahead, the poorly constructed house mocked him and laughed and jeered and said, “You cheated yourself.”  You too, are in the building business.  And if you build your life out of cheap and shabby materials, one day an empty hull of a life will look you in the eye and mock and jeer and say, “You cheated yourself.”

                So remember, there is one person in this world whom you can never escape.  There may be many people whom you find avoidable.  You can go to work and get away from your family.  You can go home and get away from your boss.  You can send the children to school and get away from them, or you can go off to school and get away from your parents.  But there is one person in this world whom you can never escape, one person with whom you will have to live throughout the darkest hours of the night and the longest part of the day.  Everywhere you go that person will be present.  Go to work, he’ll be there.  Go to school, he’ll be there.  Go to bed, he’ll be there.  And that one person is you.

                In the light of that undeniable truth, doesn’t it just make sense to be the kind of person and build the kind of life that you can respect and admire?

                Lent is here.  How well will you allow Lent to do that for you?