I have a back office job and rarely work with customers one-on-one. But a few weeks ago, I offered to be a back-up for a manager dealing with an escalated customer. The manager had come back to me for confirmation, but she knew the answer. She primarily needed to step away for the moment. She sat in my office and breathed for a minute, then we returned to the front together.

I introduced myself and explained the policy to the customer, who immediately escalated again. I tried a couple approaches but soon assessed there was little he would respond to. His volume grew, as well as his colorful words. The only option was to ask him to leave, but then I saw his shirt. Without thinking about it, I pointed to the logo on his shirt and said, “Sir, I’m going to ask you one more time to watch your language. I’m a Christian woman, and I find offense to your behavior while you are wearing that shirt.”

The situation could have worsened immediately, but it didn’t. The man’s face instantly changed. He softened. He sighed, and his posture immediately changed. He looked me in the eyes, and said, “I am so sorry. Would you forgive me?” I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anyone de-escalate so quickly.

We sat down at a nearby table to continue our conversation, finding a solution to the primary challenge. He shared some of his life story, and it seemed he was talking to himself more than me. He started to tell me something about his mom, her faith, and the number of children and grandchildren she had, but he abruptly stopped and smiled. “Wait until I tell her about this!” I chuckled. Then he told me, “Thank you. That was a bold thing you said to me. And I’m glad you did.”

We resolved the initial issue to both his and my satisfaction, and he thanked me once again before he left. Then I hustled to get out of the office for a lunch with friends. I told them the story after I arrived a few minutes late, and one friend included it in her prayer before lunch. She thanked God for giving me the opportunity to speak up. When she was done, I assured her I didn’t see it as an opportunity at the time. It was more of a shove. I don’t remember having a moment to decide my next step. I simply responded, surprising myself a little.

But God knew. He always does.

He reminded me of two things that morning. (1) Always be ready to respond the way he leads, even when it’s to speak more boldly than is comfortable—or be more quiet than is preferable. (2) Watch who you represent. Be true to the values you speak—and wear.

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