Taking the wind out of sales?

I'm sitting in my 2nd office (Atlanta Bread Company) and overhearing bits and pieces of a medical sales meeting. Numbers are being scrutinized and folks are being told that they are doing well or that they are below the national or state average. A computer screen is pointed to and a man says,"You are here, but should be more over....here." Fortunately neither of the two subordinates have numbers that are going to get themselves fired today. That's a good thing. But there's no real assurance that such meetings will continue in the future.

I'm reminded of a few things.

1.) I'm thankful that I'm not in sales. I'm not sure that I would be good at it. Maybe I would, but I never did well selling chocolates door-to-door in high school, even when I embellished where the money actually went. Not condoning this by the way, just showing how poorly I performed.

2.) I'm thankful that God doesn't do this with me. I'm thankful that I'm not evaluated each week and compared with other people. With other pastors. Other church planters. How freeing is that? Don't ever get tired of hearing this.

3.) In some ways, regardless of whether or not we are in sales, I think the "sales review" mentality is still part of us. There are plenty of ways in which we are evaluated by others. How do your house, spouse, kids look? What is in the bank account or in your back yard? How many friends or "friends" do you have? You may be evaluated by many people, but that's okay (for us, not for those evaluating). It really shouldn't bother Christians all that much. What if there were only One with a computer whose evaluation really counted?  After all, in the end, there really is only One with a computer. So probably a good idea for us to start thinking like that now.But that's only part of the story.

What if the One with a computer said, "You are HERE, and you need to be THERE, but relax, I'm going to count Jesus' performance for you. He's over THERE, and His are the only numbers you need to be concerned with. 

If that's the case, let the haters hate, judges judge, and performers perform. If Jesus' performance counts as ours, then we will judge less and be less concerned when others judge us. Far from taking the wind out of my "sales," it moves me to want to be a better parent, pastor, friend, neighbor, without fear or over-frustration when I fail. Now I'm off to pound this into my head...