9.16.2010

Shoes (a parable)

A woman invented a revolutionary pair of running shoes, unlike anything that had ever been invented before. These shoes were state-of-the-art, beyond their time, using revolutionary technology. They were going to change the way people ran, walked, or did anything with them on.

Before the designer tried to get a patent, she sought out three area salesmen to contract with her to go around promoting the shoes. Since she thought it was important that the salesmen be able to precisely explain the revolutionary technology of the shoes, the designer called a meeting with them. She said to the salesmen, "My goal is to introduce people to my product and demonstrate how revolutionary the shoes are." But as she began to explain the technology of the shoes to the salesmen, one of them grabbed a pair of the shoes and quickly walked out. Unable to call him back, the designer continued to talk to the other two salesmen and prepare them for their task. The two salesmen felt very prepared and informed to explain the technology of the shoes.

At the end of the day, the two salesmen arrived back around the same time, and both reported that many people were not willing to listen to their presentation. All of the ones that did would not commit to purchasing the shoes and wanted more time to think about it and ask other people. The designer found herself discouraged and didn't know how to persuade people to give the shoes a try.

Just then, the third salesman burst into the room, sweating and breathing heavily. The designer glanced down and noticed the salesman was wearing the shoes.

"What's going on?" the designer demanded. "I wanted you to spend the day telling people about my shoes."

Through his panting, the salesman responded, "Oh, I plan to do that. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you get your first orders next week."

The other two salesmen looked at each other and whispered, "What makes him think he can do any better than us when we're the ones who know all about the shoes?"

"But what exactly did you do all day?" the designer asked.

With a shrug of his shoulders, the salesman said, "I ran."



1 comment:

  1. Great post Corey! I think I will use your story at our staff retreat this weekend. We spend way too much time "learning about the faith" and so little time actually living it. Thanks for sharing.

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