Transcripts: Reasons For Faith

Transcript: Reasons for Faith: God’s Standards Versus My Own
Presenter: Why was it difficult to uphold God’s moral standards at school?
[Text: Clara Pons. France]
Clara: I remember that in high school it was complicated because my classmate’s made fun of me. They often said I acted holier-than-thou and other similar insults because I didn’t go to nightclubs, I didn’t curse, I didn’t smoke. It was unbearable because they often tried to push me to the limit. I had a one-hour bus ride to get to high school, and I wanted the bus to make a U-turn and avoid going to high school. I had all the time to think of what could happen to me and what they could say to me, and I admit that I sometimes felt alone.
[Text: Hugo Spegt. France]
Hugo: The environment at school often exposed me to immorality. For example, girls would wear short skirts. I received instant messages from people I had never met before. They would send me photos, a phone number, or invitations that I could have just simply accepted. So, I could have easily committed sexual immorality. Sometimes I felt like I was missing out on something important when I heard my classmates talking about what they were doing on their evenings and weekends and about drinking alcohol and new drugs they were trying or girls they had slept with. I started to become curious.
Presenter: What did you do to strengthen your faith?
Clara: During family worship with my parents, we studied the example of Daniel. Far from his family among people that didn’t serve Jehovah, he succeeded in remaining faithful, and I wanted to do the same.
Hugo: To strengthen my faith, I started reading the Bible. I had to take the metro to get to school, so every morning I took the opportunity to read a few verses. I thought about the verses I had read. By praying to Jehovah, having a kind of constant conversation with him, Jehovah would put me in a little bubble. I started feeling comfortable inside, and I was no longer under the bad influence of others.
Clara: And the fact that I prayed more also made me feel closer to Jehovah.
Hugo: It was a bit like Psalm 63:7, which describes how Jehovah shelters us under his immense wings. Well, that’s exactly how I felt. Prayer allowed me to face any temptation.
Presenter: Why do you believe that Jehovah’s standards are beneficial? Clara: I closely observed the young ones in the world, and I realized that they are suffering from the standards they follow.
Hugo: I closely stick to the moral standards that Jehovah has given me. I’m aware that they are there for my benefit, because with the experiences I’ve had in school, I’ve observed the painful consequences that my classmates have suffered. Some got into trouble with the law or got sick. They’ve had health problems caused by their lifestyle.
Clara: A girl in school did something immoral with a boy, and it started circulating around the school. Because of that, the girl didn’t come to school anymore, and she started having suicidal thoughts. I understood that Jehovah protects us with his principles, his standards. And if I had compromised even once with his standards, I would have regretted it sooner or later. And for me, there is nothing worse than regret.
Hugo: I’m 100 percent sure that Jehovah gave me these moral principles for my own good so that I could be morally clean.
Clara: He also helps me to be positive. For example, he helped me to see my classmates as potential disciples, and we were able to have conversations about the Bible together. I am really convinced that Jehovah’s standards are good for me. Being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses is the best life possible.
(Additional Reading, Live With Jehovah’s Day in Mind, Chapter 7)
(Logo: Black capital letters JW.ORG inside a white box. Copyright 2023 Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania)