When Jacob met Sarkar

Once there lived a man named Jacob. He was a driver driving a heavy vehicle. He was good at his work and his manager was happy with his work. Jacob was a graduate but due to high unemployment he too could not get a job suited to his education. He took driving classes just six months back and now he was a driver, with a regular monthly income. He had no family or kids. His large family lived in an obscure village far from any urban influence. He was regularly sending them some part of his income to support them.

 On January 1^ST as he was driving through the highway he saw a group of young rich kids stranded on the road with a car which had crashed on to a tree on the road side. They stopped him and requested him to give them a lift. Only one of them got into the vehicle and he requested him to be dropped at the nearest service station. As the stranger boarded his vehicle he could sense the familiar smell of alcohol. He asked for some water and as he finished drinking the water, he started to talk. He said, “Bro. Where are you from?”. “Sir, I am from here only. I work for this heavy vehicle company as their driver. We need to get the cargo to our destination at the appointed time, or else I will be fired”, replied Jacob. The drunk replied, “Good, you are driving well. You are not too fast not too slow. You driving is near perfect bro.”. Jacob could not discern whether the drunk was complimenting him or flattering him. “Either way” said a voice in his head and then he replied, “Thank you sir”.  “Oh! You have good manners too” replied the drunk and continued, “I did not expect a thank you from an Indian lorry driver. So are you educated bro.?”

     “Sir, I have completed my post-graduation M.A and since I did not get any job I am driving this lorry. I like this job; It helps me feed stomachs and save some for future too. I have been working from my teen age even when I was studying at my village school”. “So sorry, you were a child labourer then…am I right?” asked the drunk stranger.  “I think I would have perfectly fitted with that description” replied Jacob with a smile. “But it was practical and as I worked in that small village hotel washing dishes in the evenings, I was provided with dinner daily and that was the main thing sir, that was the main thing. My parents were not in a position to feed us all always and I that job was perfect for me. It allowed me at have nutrition atleast once a day or even twice sometimes, especially on weekends. It gave me job experience and exposure to this world. It helped me understand that as long as I work I can eat something and continue to live.”

     “So you are happy with your job then and you are happy with your job now. Isn’t it?” enquired the drunk stranger. “Yes, perfectly!” replied Jacob. “Sorry to ask this now, but what is your name?” enquired the stranger. “I am Jacob and what is your name sir?” asked Jacob probingly. “My name is Sarkar and I am working in a software firm in the city. Here is my visiting card, keep it…..keep it and call me whenever you come there. I think I may have some job openings for you if you are interested.”

Jacob received the card thankfully not knowing fully what fortune that might bring him. He slid it gently into his front shirt pocket thanking Sarkar for the offer.  Sarkar, requested him to stop the vehicle and got down. He had reached his destination. They both parted and Jacob relived this scene that changed his life many times as he sat in his 30^th floor office in Abu Dhabi, Dubai. He was now working as a corporate counsellor and his life has changed drastically. If he had never stopped to help that drunk stranger, he would never have got this opportunity he thought. He could have been judgmental and refused to offer lift to the stranger because he was drunk. But he did not and somehow he has been blessed by that. He thanked God and as opened his email sipping his coffee, he received an e-mail from Sarkar. The e-mail read: “Dear Jacob, Thanking you being part of my life and enriching it. If it was not for that chat we had when we first met I would not have found what I was missing. During that conversation I noticed how you were very satisfied with your job, even though it was not much. I was very dissatisfied with my high paying job and after listening to you it struck me as to how fortunate I am to have this job and how much God has blessed me with. That really gave me a new perspective on my job and even my entire life. We sometimes take life for granted and keep complaining about everything, about everyone. But we need to be thankful always and be contended with what we have. Then we will be able to peacefully work and be true to our job. Then our work will shine out automatically and we will rise higher in our work. But it all starts with thankfulness and contentment. That Bible verse you shared with me also helped me a lot. ‘Godliness with contentment is great gain’ – St. Paul.”