I recently was involved with selling my son’s car. After a steady stream of scammers, schemers and low-ballers, I was delighted and relieved when the potential buyers told me they were ardent Christians. I was delighted because I always like interacting with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ; but I was relieved because someone honest would be a breath of fresh air!
Things weren’t just “smooth sailing” however. First, he cut our agreed-to price by 400$, stating he had never “agreed” to it… I was shocked, but since it was my son’s car and he was okey with the lower price, I let it go.
Next he tried to get me to put a lower price on the sales receipt he would have to show the licensing body in our area, so that he would have to pay fewer taxes… I told him I wasn’t comfortable with this. He continued to insist. I told him it wasn’t honest. He informed me that it was honest because he was still giving me the price we had finally agreed up. It was just so he didn’t have to pay so many taxes. I understood. I don’t like taxes either, but this simply wasn’t honest, and I responded by telling him that we needed to be honest with the government as well, not just each other. Then I put my hand on his arm and said, “I hope you understand where I’m coming from. We both aspire to a higher set of rules!” Still he continued to try to make me feel bad for refusing until his companion suggested to him that he stop.
Then he got upset at me because there were no mats in the car, and his tone suggested that I had taken them. I assured him that there had never been any mats in the car.
Unfortunately the car’s safety certificate had expired and I would need to get a new safety certificate. I handed him the stack of papers, along with the ownership, and made some calls. A little later, he demanded that I give him the papers I was withholding. Now my memory is Swiss cheese sometimes, so I looked in my car. When the papers weren’t there, he continued to insist I had the papers and even suggested I might be withholding them. To his credit, when he later found them in his car, he did apologize…
I was blown away by all of this. I mean, my “get along with everyone” nature was completely out of its comfort zone! I want to hold to God’s higher calling, but I also don’t want to make enemies! So I decided to give him some cash to buy mats for the car, in addition to the cash I gave him to pay for the next safety certificate… He took the money without even so much as a “thank you”.
Why can’t people just be … honest? Especially those who profess to be followers of Christ! What kind of a witness is that to the world at large?
The above transaction happened between Christians, and I understand that we are all human, we all sin, and God loves us enough to try to shape us into people who are more like Him. No harm was done, the man didn’t hurt my faith. What if, however, these antics had happened between him and a non-believer? Jesus said something very harsh about those who might be influential in leading someone astray: “It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.” (Luke 17:2 NIV)
Let’s remember, in everything we do, there are those watching us! Our calling is to be a good example of Jesus Christ and to lead others to desiring His higher calling; not to be cheats and deceivers ourselves.
There were two other significant points that God brought to my mind as I reflected on all of this.
First of all, I didn’t get very far in my criticism of this person, before God flooded my mind with all of the times I had “fudged” in order to save a dollar or two… He then reminded me of the times I had given into similar situations and done what I knew to be wrong so as to not “make enemies”… Not only is that being a poor example, but it is also seen as … sin … “So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17 NASB)! Who was I to judge this person? Jesus also has some pretty harsh statements to make about those who criticize others: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you“ (Matthew 7:1-2 NIV)! It doesn’t matter what other Christians do to us, ours is not to judge! For when we do, we will also be judged!
The last point God wanted to get my attention on was this: “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness…” (Titus 1:1 NIV). This means that one of our responsibilities as Christians is to lovingly encourage our fellow believers in their walk with God, so that they may become more Christ-like. Had God allowed this person to come to me because perhaps He had already started working on my buyer about being honest? If I had given in to his request, I would not have been leading him towards godliness. My insistence that this wasn’t the Jesus-way, however, could have been planting seeds in a field that God might already be watering. My job, after being a good example, is to pray that these seeds sprout and grow!
Let’s try to always be good examples by following God’s principles all of the time. But when we run into other believers who fail, let’s remember the many times we have also failed and forgive them; but let’s also be good examples to them, for we do not know when we may be planting seed that God is eager and willing to make sprout, so as to lead the other person on towards godliness.
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries