A Cell Phone Customer Service Rep Hears the Gospel

I had a question about our cell phone plans, and called the carrier we have cell coverage through. After working through their phone system (at one point it put me back to start) a lady, named Laura, came on the line. She was quite helpful, and answered my questions. At one point she put me on hold to look up information, and while on hold I heard about international phone service. Since we were going to be traveling out of country in February of 2006 I also asked – once she was back on the line – about roaming charges. We probably spent about 5~10 minutes total talking about cell phones. When we were done, I thanked her for answering all my cell phone questions…

Then, I asked if she was only allowed to discuss business on the phone or if she could answer another question of mine. She said she was allowed to talk about whatever. I asked her if anyone had ever given her the “Good Person” test – and she said no. I said “It’s very important – do you have just a minute?” She said “yes” – and I asked if she felt she was a good person. She laughed and said, “Honestly?” I interrupted and said, “You wouldn’t lie to me?!?” She laughed more and said, “yes” – she felt she was, but that she isn’t all the time but tries to be. I asked if it would be OK for me to ask her a few questions to see if it was true.

I asked if she knew the 10 commandments and she said yes. I asked if she had kept them and she said ‘not always’. I then asked if she had ever told a lie, and she readily admitted she does (perhaps as a part of her job?!?). I asked what that made her and she said ‘a bad person?’ ‘More specifically’, I asked. She soon came up with the word ‘liar’ – and we moved on to stealing. She readily admitted stealing.

I said the 10 commandments say we are not to murder, but that Jesus said if we are angry we commit murder in our hearts. I asked if she had ever been angry, and she said ‘yes’. I asked if she had ever taken God’s name in vain, and she readily admitted she had. I told her the Bible calls that blaspheme. I then said that by her own admission – this was nothing I was simply calling her – she was a lying, thieving, blaspheming, murderer at heart. The tone was still somewhat light-hearted at this point.

I asked if she were to die tonight and God were to judge her based on the 10 commandments, would she be innocent or guilty, and she said ‘guilty’. I asked if she would then to go heaven or hell and she said ‘hell’. I asked if that concerned her and she said it did. I asked what she was doing about it and she said ‘nothing’ – she hadn’t really thought about it that way.

The rest of the conversation was about the good news of the gospel, how valuable our eyes are (she said she wouldn’t sell hers for any amount of money, and readily agreed that our eyes are simply the window to our souls and our souls are much more valuable than our yes), the importance of our ‘fine being paid’ by Someone Who can pay out fine for us, the importance of repenting – turning from our sin – and not doing the things we shouldn’t be, reading the Bible, and seeking the Lord with our whole heart.

I encouraged her to deal with these things tonight, because she could die in a car crash anytime, and encouraged her to read the obituaries and see that people do die young. She said, ‘Yes, I know what you mean. I was in a wreck a month ago, rolled our SUV four times and wasn’t wearing a seat belt, and walked away.’ We reflected on God’s goodness in sparing her life – perhaps for this very moment – to give her a chance of repenting. I said it was amazing how God would spare her life, when she wasn’t living for or serving Him – and we went through the first two commandments (no other god’s before Me, and not making a god in our own image) and how those two had also been broken. I told her of my friend who had been in an accident a few years ago, rolled his truck, wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from his vehicle - and is now in a coma.

I encouraged her to get right with God, to repent, and ask Him to take control of her life. I encouraged her to read her Bible in John, and I gave her our web address if she had any additional questions so she could e-mail my mother or sister.

She thanked me for sharing with her, and said this is something she has needed in her life.

While her voice had been cheerful as we started talking about the Lord, by the end it was more sober and serious.