You’re Always Auditioning
Towards the end of his ministry Jesus tells this story of a master who leaves wealth and responsibility in the hands of three servants in the form of differing amounts of gold. Then the master heads out on a journey.
The master was gone a long time, but one day, without warning, the master returned and calls his three servants into account for what they have done with what was entrusted to them.
Though caught off guard, two of the servants had been working day in and day out to make the most of what they had been entrusted with – so when the unexpected interview came they had good things to show for what they’d been given.
To both of these people, the master said, “Well done my good and faithful servant, you have been faithful in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things.” They did their job well, and got a promotion.
The third servant, however, had squandered the trust and opportunity that he had been given and things didn’t turn out as well for him.
There is a lot to learn from this story, but one simple insight is that in life, we are always auditioning – specifically auditioning for a promotion.
Look at the two faithful servants. They didn’t know when the master was going to come back or how long he’d be gone, they just consistently did their best with what they’d been given. Like the rest of us, they would have had good days and bad, big wins and staggering setbacks, but they just kept doing their best and acting faithfully with what they’d been given. It wasn’t that final, unexpected day that they were being evaluated on, but the culmination of all the days since the master had departed. They were auditioning for a promotion all along.
The same is true in all of our lives. Grade point averages, life-giving relationships, good reputations at work and in your community aren’t something you pull together in a last minute frenzy or “wing it” with charisma and charm. No, they are built over time, being faithful in the small things. Did we do the work, did we show up on time, did we give it our best, did we dress the part, did we build trust, did we grow and lean, could people rely on our good attitude – day in and day out?
Even when we don’t realize it – maybe especially when we don’t realize it – we are auditioning. When the interviews come, they are just confirmation of what we’ve been doing all along.
One of the beautiful gifts in living into this reality is that it eliminates the demand for perfection. No one can be perfect, especially all the time, but since we are always auditioning – whether we accept that reality or not – our off days and off moments average out. Then, when the interview comes, we’ve got nothing to worry about, because we’ve been auditioning all along and we’re ready for that promotion.
May we all hear those beautiful words, “Well done my good and faithful servant” both in the small things, and in the things that truly matter.
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