The House I Build

You are more gifted than you might realize.

People are often gifted, and in some cases, they begin to depend on their talents for success to the neglect of their character. I’ve watched people sabotage themselves when they allow their talent to be bigger than they are.

When your talent matures beyond your character, the public person betrays the private person.

Are big talents bad? Not at all. The answer is not to minimize the talent, but strengthen the inner life. The greater the talent the more time you must dedicate to developing your character. Your inner life is the infrastructure that holds it all together.

There is a great story of a multimillionaire who asked a builder to construct a home. He showed him the blueprints, then gave him a large amount of money. The millionaire told the builder: “You probably won’t need all the money, but I want you to have plenty to build a sturdy house. When you are finished, you can keep whatever money is left over.”

The builder smiled. He thought: “I can build this house for a fraction of this money, and pocket most of the money for myself!” So he did.

He began to throw that house together quickly. He ignored several building codes and used poor quality materials. He scrimped on insulation and took every shortcut he could. When the house was finished, he knew it wasn’t his best work, but it looked good. Besides, he had lots of money left over.

The day came for the millionaire to see the house. “Here are the keys to the house!” the builder said. At that moment, the millionaire smiled and responded, “This house is my gift to you… this is your house!” The man had no idea he was building his own home.

Do you realize the life you are building is God’s gift to you? You can take shortcuts, but you are cheating yourself from all his blessings. You can project an image for your peers, but eventually, it doesn’t hold up under the pressures of life.

Proverbs 18:16 NIV tells us, “A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.” Obviously, our talents can get us somewhere, still, it’s our character that will keep us there.

How often are you relying on your talents rather than your character?

What are you relying on to hold your life together?