Paycheck

Paycheck

March 21, 2016

This verse reminds me of a lesson learned many years ago.  A new store had opened in our area, specializing in retail electronics and appliances.  Store employees included the store manager, Mike Lee, and the sales staff.  I've lost track of Mike - good Christian fellow, I wonder where he is these days.  The sales staff were paid commission.  If a salesperson was good, he or she made a lot of money.  If the salesperson wasn't good, then he or she made minimum wage for the week.  As I said, it was a new store.  We were responsible for getting it ready for opening day.  Of course this meant there were no customers - which meant no sales - which meant we were all working for minimum wage.  In other words, we didn't KNOW if we were good yet.  However, there was plenty of ego to challenge the known facts.  I'm sure someone - several someones complained.  No one likes working for minimum wage.  A meeting was called.

The district manager was there for the meeting.  I should add that he wasn't there just for the meeting, he had been around quite a bit.  This was, in fact the newest, brightest, biggest store in the chain.  I'm sure that it was his pride and joy.  I'm sure he wanted it to start out right.  It also happened to be payday.  Mike passed out the paychecks.  The district manager was finishing up his cigar.  It was not yet against the law to smoke in public places.  It was now time for the DM (district manager) to impart his wisdom upon us.  Imagine, if you will, Joe Pesci with the voice of Wolfman Jack.  Oh, and for setting recreate in your mind the motivation speech by Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross.  The DM asked us look at our paychecks.  Check the amount, make sure that our names were correct on the pay to line.  It was then that he asked the question, "What is the name on the top left corner?"

We all answered, "McDuff Electronics."

He then started an extremely short, but very memorable lesson about paychecks, personnel, ego and a reminder about who we worked for.  It doesn't matter, he said, how good you think you are.  It doesn't matter how important you think you are.  It doesn't matter what you think your job does, or doesn't entail.  What matters is that you remember you are the employee, and the name in the top left corner is the employer.  For that paycheck, you owe the employer a job well done.  Not a debate, not a negotiation, not an attitude of, "You should be thankful to have me on your payroll," and not a speech on how the business would be run if you were in charge.  That's just the point - you are not in charge he reminded us all.  

That little lesson has stuck with me all these years.  In a much kinder, gentler way, I think Paul seeks to teach us a similar lesson in this passage.  The paycheck is written in blood.  It is guaranteed by the Bank of Heaven, and yes - just a reminder - the name in the top left corner is not yours.  We owe a lot to God for what He has given us.  The paycheck is huge, but the cost behind it is even greater.  It might be a good idea to give back to God a work ethic commensurate to the value paid.

By the way.  The egos didn't seem to pan out.  The guys who complained the most, didn't work as hard opening the store.  They were also not nearly as good salesmen as they claimed.  The guys who worked hard, sold hard and made some pretty good paychecks.