In my area, within about ten miles of each other, there are two car dealerships that handle the same brand. In 2003, my wife and I purchased our first new vehicle from one of them. It was a stretch for us, but it was nice to have a more reliable vehicle with lower milage than we had been getting in the past. It was a good vehicle and we really liked it, but every time I took it in for service, something the dealer convinced us we needed to do to avoid voiding our warranty, they figured out a way to make it cost a minimum of $300, which was about what our monthly payment was at the time. We stopped taking the car to the dealership for service, and never bought a car from them again, and when that dealerships name comes up in conversation from people who are considering buying a car from them, I admit, I share that story. 

A few years later the vehicle I was driving stopped meeting my needs. I had started in my traveling ministry and I needed a bigger vehicle, a mini van, to handle my travel equipment. I went to the other dealership and purchased my van. Every other oil change was free and the one that wasn’t was substantially less than $300. Then one day as I was driving down the highway, the transmission of my van “blew up” with about 70,000 miles on it. That really could have soured me on the brand, but something amazing happened. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership, and they began to work on it. I had speaking engagements booked and so when they offered me a “loaner” vehicle, I asked if there was any way I could have a van, and they obliged. The repair took months, because the dealer was working on my behalf. The brand wanted to replace my transmission with a used transmission and the dealership wanted to give me a new one. I felt bad about the amount of miles I was putting on this van. I knew the agreement was that the vehicle not be taken out of state, but every time I asked if I could take it on another road trip they said the same thing. “Use it as if it were yours.” I had that loaner vehicle so long I had the oil changed (at their expense) twice. At the end of the situation, I didn’t have to cancel any engagements and I had a van with a new transmission that I drove another 100,000+ miles. Needless to say, when it came time for my next vehicle, I purchased from that same dealership, and I tell everyone about the amazing service I got from my dealership. As a matter of fact I am doing it now… well, sort of.

Why do I share this story? Two reasons: first because as I was reading The Daily Bread today, they had a similar story, and I became convicted of something. Have I shared the Gospel as often as I have shared about the great service I got from my local dealership? While I do try to share the Gospel, I am convicted that I don’t do it as often as I should. My dealership deserves praise for the way they serve their customers, but my Lord deserves infinitely more praise for all the amazing things He has done, but there was another thought, to be considered. 

Think about my experience with the first dealership. First I wonder if my struggles with them indicate unforgiveness. I tend to be very forgiving of people, but businesses are harder for me. I felt like I was being ripped off, and wanted to spare others that same fate. On the other side, 20 years have passed, and I have not been back to see if anything has changed, so perhaps I am being unfair. 

The other reason I am sharing it is this. 2 Corinthians 5 reminds us we are “brand ambassadors” for our Lord and people have long memories. How we treat them matters and what we do in His name matters. When we claim the name of Christ, we are His representatives and we need to represent Him well. We don’t have to be perfect, but think about my transmission incident. When something went wrong, it could have soured me on that brand for life. Instead I saw people who went out of their way to make things right and that made all the difference. Our God is perfect, but our lives are not. When people see the struggles in their own lives. It is easy for them to blame God. In those moments, it’s up to us, His representatives to represent Him will, by loving and caring and going the extra mile. So that when people see out good deed they will praise our Father in Heaven. (Matthew 5) What we do matters.