Apples of Gold
Radio Script for July 10, 2008
“Take the High Road”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
I finally landed the big fish.
As a rookie salesman in my 20’s, I knew I had to sell one of the big car dealers.
I mean, if you’re in radio sales, and you don’t have at least one big car dealer as a client, you’re a nobody.
It took a while, but I finally did it. I got the Chrysler dealer to sign a three month contract for $300 per month. I walked out of that place on cloud nine!
Fast forward six weeks. Now I was sitting at my desk, in complete misery. As I looked over my reports it slowly dawned on me that I had messed up the Chrysler account. When I had written up the schedule, I forgot to include everything in the contract. We billed them the full price, but did not do everything we promised.
As the old timers say, I was in the horns of a dilemma.
If I told the Chrysler dealer that I had messed up his account, he might cancel, or he might not renew. He might lose respect for me, “the kid,” and never buy from me again.
If I told my boss, he might credit the account, and take it out of my commission – something I definitely could not afford.
As far as I could tell, no one else knew about the error but me. Maybe I could fix the schedule, make sure the client got everything he paid for, and not tell anyone. Yes, that seemed like the best option. Just keep it all under the radar. I mean, why stir up trouble if you don’t have to?
So there I sat, in the horns of a dilemma. What should I do? Every option felt like a loser.
Have you ever been there?
How did you decide what to do?
When we come to forks in the road like this, and we have to make a decision, we always base it on something.
Maybe we base it on what will cause the least trouble.
Or we base it on what will cost us the least.
Or we base it on what will make us look good.
There is some kind of core motivation that we fall back on.
Maybe it’s what we think our parents would do.
Have you ever analyzed this about yourself? Think back to a time when you were at a crossroads. You made a tough choice, so what did you base it on?
For me, it’s a little phrase that I always seem to fall back on. I don’t remember the first time I heard it or the first time I applied it. It’s not in the Bible, though it is certainly a biblical principle.
Here is the phrase: Take the high road.
When I am faced with a dilemma, I remind myself, “Take the high road.”
Even if it will cost me, even if it makes me look bad, “Take the high road.”
To me, taking the high road means you are honest and true. Your integrity is solid. You can’t be bought and you can’t be swayed.
Taking the high road doesn’t mean you are perfect. Everyone messes up, but what do you do about it? Taking the high road means owning up to your mistakes; own up, don’t cover up.
So there I was, sitting at my desk, pondering the Chrysler account. And I fell back to that little phrase, “Take the high road.”
So I gulped real hard, picked up the phone, and called the client. I set up an appointment because I wanted to tell him face to face.
In his office I told him what had happened. Yes, he had caught the mistake. He was glad that I stopped by and told him. He appreciated my honesty. And no, he didn’t cancel.
And you know what? After three months he renewed his contract. In fact, he stayed on for several years, becoming one of the biggest clients we had.
Now I’m not saying taking the high road always ends so nicely. Sometimes you still have to take your lumps. But at least you’re clean. At least you aren’t leaving behind little critters that will come back to bite you.
Deuteronomy 25:16 says the Lord detests anyone who deals dishonestly. You don’t want to be in that crowd.
So the next time you are in the horns of a dilemma, the next time you come to a fork in the road and you have a tough decision to make, use this phrase as a guide. It’s like a little map, a little GPS system. When you aren’t sure which road to take, let this little phrase be your guide: Take the high road.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
Proverbs 15:19 is a Bible verse that comes close to saying “Take the high road.” It tells us that “…the path of the upright is a highway.”
Proverbs 16:17 says, “The highway of the upright avoids evil…”
© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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