Articles
The Impressions We Make
True story: Some years ago whenever a driver would pull in at a certain car wash, the sales manager would say in his friendly way, “How are you doing today?” Many of the clientele would be on their cell phones and about all they’d manage to say is, “I’ll take the $8 wash”—and then hand the manager their credit card as if he were a machine.
When he returned with the credit card slip for the customer to sign, he rephrased his original question, “So are you doing OK today?” Some would just sign the slip while talking on the phone and not say much. Often all he’d get is a perfunctory “Fine, thanks!” with minimum eye contact and barely a smile.
This manager, not a Christian, was invited by his evangelistic next-door neighbor to a church men’s night out. At this event he approached a man he recognized. “Hey,” he said, “you’re one of my customers down at the car wash! I’m the sales manager down there.” The fellow smiled and was friendly and polite but the conversation was brief.
Later the manager leaned over to his neighbor who had invited him. “That guy is a jerk,” he said. “He’s another one of those customers I have who never gets off his cell phone, never smiles, and never answers my question, ‘How are you doing today?’ . . . . I guess I shouldn’t have told you that.”
Questions: What kind of impression are we making on those who serve us in public? Are we really coming across the way we think we are? (Did the Christian on his cell phone have any idea he was perceived as rude?)
Are we opening doors for the gospel or closing them? How can we become more sensitive to the needs of those who serve us?
Hearing this story has made me want to be much more careful about my interactions with people (Matt. 7:12; Phil. 2:15; Col. 4:5-6; Titus 2:7-8).
How about you?
