May 10, 2007
Salesman
Whether in person, on the phone or through the mail, I really dislike salesmen. At the top of my list is the car salesman. On a car shopping trip my daughter encountered a creative salesman who used flattery as a hook – he told her the interior of a car matched the color of her eyes. Recently I’ve been seeing a podiatrist who could double for a car salesman. Although I went to him concerning nerve pain in one foot, he’s pushing me to buy orthotics. Discovering I have a high deductible medical insurance, he was quick to let me know that many of his clients prefer purchasing orthotics out of pocket. I’m hoping my foot heals soon, because I dread every high pressure appointment. I wonder how often non-believers view the Christian as a salesman. Are we so zealous about saving souls that people feel we’re trying to hook them for Jesus?
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3 comments:
Gail;
-----I never have been comfortable “saving souls” because I so despise salesman. I refuse to be one! But, deep inside, my attitude has always bothered me greatly. Salesmanship is important, especially when the product is eternal life.
-----Your blog has given me a simple insight that I never considered before. Thank you. You described from the beginning to the end salesmen who were dealing with a very real need: get the reward for selling something. I never could except the idea of eternal life being a reward for selling Jesus, nor any extra level of comfort within it. The flattery used by the car salesman on your daughter reminds me of the techniques used to hook the lost for Jesus. As if Jesus is the remarkable jar of tonic that cures everything from warts to cancer, any little scuff upon the neighbor’s knee becomes a selling point to push Jesus. I still get scuffs on my knee, too. He is not good tonic for bumps, bruises, and life snuffing accidents, nor for sickness, financial loss, or rejection by loved ones. Christians suffer all this and more.
-----What I expect from a salesman is to just demonstrate to me what the product does and answer my questions. That is, match my needs with a product after I have decided to become a customer. I think that is what Jesus did with His temporal life. He was not born into the world until the world was ready to buy. So the new life in me should do some good things apparent enough for the neighbors to detect and become customers. Then, as Paul said, I need to be ready to give an answer for the faith that is in me.
True zeal for the Lord is not the problem. What disconcerts non-Christians is that they feel like just another tally in the score box to boost the proselytizer's standing with his fellow Christians. And the Christian secretly hopes God is keeping score too. The target realizes he is not being loved into the Kingdom but is just a means to enhance the sellers' quarterly report.
Welcome Julie,
Thanks for your thoughts. I agree. I also see Christians secretly hoping God is keeping score – and they want more points for a moving target!
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