By Todd Paetznick, January 4, 2024

I’ve grown cynical and untrusting.  Apparently, I am not alone.  

If you are like me, you read product reviews before buying anything online.  I rarely trust what I hear or see from advertisements and product promotions alone.  And still, I have held various sales and marketing positions for over forty years; why am I so untrusting?

I do not trust what I see.  Technology has advanced so that photographic images can be easily manipulated and can be deceptive.  I have read stories of people accidentally buying teensy-tiny items they thought were regular size only to be surprised on delivery.  Artificial Intelligence has brought us technology like Deep Fake, which can fool people into thinking they hear and see someone they know saying something or appearing to do something that seems real but is out of character for that person.    

I do not trust what I hear or read.  People are intentionally deceptive and self-serving. Too often, people do what benefits them without regard for other people.  And this year (2024), we will be inundated with political ads and “told” what to think about people running for political office.  My antenna goes up immediately when someone (especially in the news media) tells me that someone lied or when someone gets labeled as something negative without also offering any supporting “facts.”  

What can we observe and learn from our own distrust?

• Trust has to be earned and can be quickly destroyed through one bad experience.  One bad experience can shape an impression of a person, product, brand, and company.  If we do something that causes another person to distrust us, re-earning their trust may take a long time.  Integrity and honesty are important.
• I trust recommendations from people who do not have a vested interest in what I do.  Online product reviews are helpful.  If someone has had a good or bad experience with something, I am much more likely to be influenced by what they say than what the company or one of its representatives says.  Extending the observation, my opinion and experience matter to other people.   
• Protect the brand.  As an employee and salesperson, I recognize the importance of what other people think about my company and the products I represent.  I must do my part to ensure the company and its products are accurately and not deceptively represented.  My personal reputation is also at risk.  Deceptive representations damage companies and personal reputations. 
• Less-than-perfect reviews are helpful.  Sometimes, reviews with fewer than five stars are more helpful than the perfect ones.  I am impressed when a less-than-perfect product is promptly fixed by the company that made it.  A company that stands behind its products is more valuable than a  perfect review (which I doubt is accurate).    

As Christians, we need to be concerned about the observations of outsiders.  Too often, what outsiders to the faith think of Christianity reflects their experience with Christians, not necessarily with God.  Right or wrong, good or bad, those of us who call ourselves Christians must be aware that we are being watched and must ensure we are not standing in the way of someone coming to faith in Christ.  “Now [Jesus] said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to one through whom they come! It is better for him if a millstone is hung around his neck and he is thrown into the sea, than that he may cause one of these little ones to sin” (Luke 17:1-2 NASB20).

What we do and say affects people’s perceptions of our faith in Christ.  

• Expectations need to be carefully managed.  Christians can damage Christ’s reputation when expectations of perfection are set for people and churches.  Setting an expectation that Christians, as a group, forgive and extend grace to others who fall short of perfection should be our goal.  Because we have had grace and forgiveness extended to us, we should be the first to extend it to others.
• My testimony is my review of Christianity.  We need to think of our Christian testimony like it is a product review.  How many stars would you give your experience with the Christian faith?  Are there areas where your expectations were not met that ended up being better in the long run?  Is your review helpful in shaping the expectations of others, or will they become disappointed because of what was said?  There are no perfect Christians or churches; we should not pretend they exist.
• Less-than-perfect reviews of Christianity can be meaningful and helpful.  People who hear and believe that Christianity will bring them success and health will be disappointed and disillusioned when what they believe was promised is not delivered.  It is wrong to set expectations that do not accurately match biblical teaching.  God does not promise success and health in our lives.  
• God can be trusted even when people cannot.  Expectations must be set accurately regarding how God operates and His expectations for people.  This has to be a part of the expectations we set for outsiders.  People are not perfect, a major theme in the Bible, and is very apparent from any interaction we have ever had with another person.  But God is perfect and has made a way for us to have a relationship with him despite our flaws.  

Over the next few weeks, I will explore how trusting God works to our benefit. 

#faithandwork