A young man was working furiously in the hot sun toiling away. Sweat was pouring down his forehead. He lifted each pebble and put it carefully into place. He was building a masterpiece. His father came along and asked if he could help.
"No, Dad, I can do it myself. Go and build your own house," said that youth.
So the father went off and began to build his own. Days and months came and went. Finally, the 2 men were finished.
The young man sat back and admired his fine, little home. He had created something that was his own. After a few minutes of admiration, he noticed that there were some cracks and holes. In just a few minutes, all that he had labored so long on came tumbling down to the ground. He stared at the rubble slack-jawed and sorely disappointed. It was then that he noticed his father standing over his shoulder. He looked up at his father with tears in his eyes and lamented his failure. The father consoled his son and told him that everything would be all right. The son wasn't so sure. All his time and labor for something he had wanted was in vain. Why was this happening to him?
The father put his arm around his son and turned him around. The son stood amazed at the sight. There just a few yards from where his little house had once stood was the most amazing structure he had ever seen! The mansion gleamed white and was huge! There were sparkling windows and beautiful gardens. The estate was full of rooms and gorgeous furnishings. It was exactly as the son would have designed it for himself. He looked up at his father and in amazement said, "You did all this in the same amount of time that I made mine?"
The father only nodded his head and waited. The young man realized that he should have taken the help from his dad. He began to cry because he knew that he had missed an opportunity to spend time with his dad and benefit from the wisdom that his father had. Just then, he heard a great noise and looked over and a huge sink hole had swallowed up his pile of pebbles. He said to the father, "Can I come and visit you in your beautiful home?"
"No, my son," answered the father. "It is I who will come and visit you."
"What?" exclaimed the son.
"I only wanted to help you and guide you to the right way to build your home. I wanted to tell you that you were building it on top of a sink hole and that it would be unsafe for you to live there. I care for you and don't want to run your life but I want you to benefit from the knowledge that I have. I wanted to help because I love you. You can have the home that I built. It is safe and built with all of your preferences in mind. Enjoy, my son!"
The young man ran to his dad and threw his arms around his neck and wept. He asked for forgiveness and expressed his gratitude. Together, they walked up the steps and in the front door.
