Transcripts: Enjoy Life Forever!

Transcript: Work Whole Souled for Jehovah
[In an office, Thomas, sporting a flannel shirt, a moustache and goatee, types at a desk, Jason approaches Thomas]
Thomas: Sometimes I really hate my job. I don’t know how Jason stays so positive.
[Now outside, Thomas and Jason in yellow high visibility vests receive instruction from a stout man. As Thomas looks on the stout man places a think envelope into Jason’s vest. Jason speaks and hands the envelope back to the man. Now in the break room]
Thomas: I asked Jason why he refused the money, and I found out that he’s one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. My wife is too, so I know a lot about them. But what Jason did really surprised me.
[At an outdoor table during lunch, the two men talk]
I wondered why he didn’t feel like he was entitled to the extra money. He’s such a hard worker, and most of our supervisors accept bribes. Jason showed me a Bible verse: Whatever you are doing, work at it whole-souled as for Jehovah, and not for men.
[Text: Colossians 3:23]
Jason’s relationship with God influences every aspect of his life, even his attitude toward work. He couldn’t participate in something dishonest, even if others did. I could see that Jason really lived by his beliefs.
[In a conference room, the stout man shouts at Jason, pounds the table and walks out. Jason leans back in his chair, Thomas sighs. Now in the break room. A man tosses an empty can into a stuffed garbage. Thomas watches as Jason picks up the can and empties the garbage]
Jason invited me to see the construction project he’s been volunteering at. I felt like I had entered another world. People of different races worked alongside each other without prejudice, and they were all volunteers. Jason offered to study the Bible with me. Emma has asked me to study in the past, and I’ve always refused.
[He recalls his wife Emma and friends invite him to a home Bible study. Emma showing him a Bible text. Laughing together]
But this time, I accepted.
[Emma approaches the open door of their house and sees the two men sitting in the kitchen talking. Thomas with his Bible and Jason his tablet. Her smile widens]
I liked my study and even enjoyed going to the Kingdom Hall occasionally.
[At the Hall, Thomas with no goatee sings with Emma]
But I had to work overtime to support my family. I couldn’t go to meetings every week.
[Thomas at work, Emma at the Kingdom Hall. At the meeting, Emma with a sombre face looks back at the clock. It reads 7:35. Now at the outdoor table, the men have their Bible study]
Thomas: Hey, Jason, how do you do it all, work, family, meetings, even volunteer work?
Jason: I try to keep in mind Jesus’ words at Matthew 6:22.
[They envision a man at night walking through bush carrying a small lit oil lamp]
Jesus compared our eyes to a lamp. He said that if ‘our eye was focused, our whole body would be bright.’
[The man looks up at an owl]
It’s impossible to focus on more than one thing at a time.
[He trips. He drops the oil lamp]
Jesus wanted his followers to focus on a single purpose: that of doing God’s will. Rather than being distracted by material things, my wife and I lead a simple life, avoiding unnecessary debt or acquiring possessions that consume a lot of time and attention. This way of life allows us to have time for what’s truly important. If you asked Emma, which do you think she would prefer: that you made more money or spent more time with her at the Kingdom Hall?
[Thomas leans back in his chair. His head turns slowly. His eyes lower]
Thomas: Jason’s example really impressed me. He was an honest and diligent worker, but he also kept secular work in its proper place. It made me think about the choices I make, and I decided that I too wanted to ‘work whole souled for Jehovah.’
[At work, Thomas looks at the clock. It reads 5:10. He collects his Bible and leaves the office with Jason]
(Logo: Black capital letters JW.ORG inside a white box. Copyright 2019 Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania)