The Carpenter's Tools

The carpenter’s tools held a conference. Brother Hammer was in the chair. The meeting informed him that he must leave because he was too noisy. But he said, “If I am to leave this carpenter’s shop, Brother Gimlet must go too; he is so insignificant and makes very little impression.”

Little Brother Gimlet arose and said, “All right but Brother Screw must go also; you have to turn him round and round and round to get him to go anywhere.”

Brother Screw then said, “If you wish I will go, but Brother Plane must leave also; all his work is on the surface – there is no depth to it.

To this Brother Plane replied, Well, Brother Rule will have to withdraw if I do for he is always measuring other folks as if he were the only one who is right.”

Brother Rule then complained against Brother Sandpaper and said “…. He is rougher than he ought to be and rubs people the wrong way.”

In the midst of the discussion the Carpenter of Nazareth walked in. He had come to perform his day’s work. He put on his apron and went to the bench to make a pulpit. He employed the screw, the gimlet, the sandpaper, the saw, the hammer, the plane and all the other tools.

After the day’s work was over and the pulpit was finished, Brother Saw arose and said, “Brethren, I perceive that all of us are labourers together with God.” There was not an accusation against any one of these tools that was not absolutely true, yet the Carpenter used every one.

There was not a place where one could have been used instead of another. How careful we should be to guard against finding fault with any of God’s tools!