An entrepreneur owned a start-up social networking business. He strategically placed his office in the center of his one hundred employees who could observe his work ethic through the glass panes surrounding his command central. The ecommerce strategy that he was actualising was palpable. One day, an intern who made wine in her spare time brought him one of her family’s best bottles. Her motive was gratitude for the entrepreneur taking a risk to hire her during her last semester of college.
“You are heading up new client management, aren’t you?” the entrepreneur inquired.
“Yes sir,” the intern answered tentatively.
“How does a promotion sound?” the entrepreneur asked. Assuming the affirmative reply, he continued with issuing his decree, “As of today, you are vice president of marketing. Your salary will triple, you will drive a corporate sport utility, enjoy an expense account, and receive full health benefits. Your first assignment is to recruit a team of fifty sales associates.”
His generosity garnered the attention of an onlooking and overhearing sales manager who thought to himself, “Wow, if a cheap bottle of wine gets a six-figure salary and benefits, I wonder what I would get if I gave the boss a week’s vacation to the Atlantis?”
After a quick online purchase during his lunch break, the sales manager skipped into the entrepreneur’s suite with his $10,000 gift certificate in hand. His eyes beamed as he placed the envelope on his leader’s desk waiting for him to open it.
“Wow, thank you so much!” said the grateful business mogul as he pulled the certificate from his envelope for only a matter of seconds. He tossed the gift on his desk and began to walk out of his office to his next appointment. He had barely passed through the threshold of his doorway when the enraged sales manager shouted loudly enough for all to hear.
“Wait a minute!” he screamed. “I saw the intern give you a cheap bottle of homemade Merlot, and you made her vice president of marketing with a six-figure salary and full benefits. I gave you a $10,000 gift certificate to travel to one of the world’s finest resorts, and you gave me nothing?” The sales manager pleaded with the entrepreneur who looked him deeply in his eyes and spoke with heart-piercing words.
“The intern gave the gift to me,” the chairman replied. “You gave the gift to yourself.”
Jesus’ disciple Peter offered God’s design for gifts, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).
This week, live out the heart of the intern.
Episode 27: God’s Ins, Outs, Ups, and Downs of Resources, Part 1 from mitchkrusetv on Vimeo.
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