Intsha Iyabuza . . .

Ngiluthekile! Ngingakuyeka Kanjani Ukugembula?

“NGAQALA ukudlala imishini yokugembula [yokubheja] lapho ngineminyaka engu-13,” kuvuma uDavid. “Ngafinyelela eqophelweni lapho ngangingasakwazi khona ukudlula endaweni yemidlalo yokugembula ngingazange ngingene ukuze ngigembule emishinini.” Omunye owayengumgembuli, okuthiwa uThomas, uyavuma: “Ngangebela ngisho nabangane, umkhaya, nengisebenza nabo ukuze ngisekele umkhuba wami. Ngangigembula cishe nganoma yini.”

Bobabili uDavid noThomas bakhuliswa njengamaKristu. Bobabili baluthwa ukugembula—babanjwa ugibe olubhubhisayo. Abacwaningi bathi amanani ashaqisayo entsha aye aba yizisulu zezingibe ezikhohlisayo ezingokwengqondo eziyengela intsha ekugembuleni. Umagazini i-Time uthi: “Abacwaningi bokugembula bathi phakathi kwemilutha yokugembula elinganiselwa ezigidini ezingu-8 eMelika, isigidi esisodwa esigcwele siyintsha eyeve eshumini elinambili leminyaka.” Abanye bakholelwa ukuthi e-United States, amaphesenti asukela kwamane kuya kwayisithupha ayo yonke intsha angabagembuli abayimilutha.

Intsha iphishekela izinhlobo eziningi ezihlukahlukene zalomkhuba owonakele. Ngokwe-Mainichi Daily News, eJapane, naphezu kwemithetho eqinile evimbela abantwana ukuba bagembule, intsha “iye yaqapheleka ngamanani ayo ashaqisa ngokwanda kakhulu okuba abagembuli kokubili [ezindaweni zemijaho] nasezindaweni zokubheja ezingezona ezemijaho.” Ukudlala imidlalo yokubheja, ukubhejela ezemidlalo, nokudlala amakhadi nakho kuyizindlela ezithandwayo phakathi kwentsha zokuzinikela ekuheheni kokugembula.

Ukulutha Kokugembula—Imiphumela

UGordon Moody, we-Gamblers Anonymous, uthi: “Ekuqaleni, [ukugembula] kungokuhlangenwe nakho okusha okumangalisayo, njengokusungula into enkulu noma ukuthandana nomuntu. . . . Ukuzama inhlanhla kuyenamisa futhi kuyakhanga.” (Quit Compulsive Gambling) Yebo, kubantu abaningi ukuba nomuzwa wenhlanhla yokuwina novalo oluhambisana nawo kuyajabulisa. Kodwa awusoze wawina phakade. Ekugcineni, umgembuli uyadliwa. Futhi izikweletu nezinkinga zezimali kumane nje kuyisiqalo sezinkinga zakhe.

Ukuzilibazisa okuluthayo, njengento eluthayo, kungabangela umonakalo omkhulu ongokomoya, ongokomzwelo, nongokokuziphatha. Kungakha kuwe lokho uGordon Moody akubiza ngokuthi “ukukhohlisa . . . ekugcineni okuyokwenza isigqila.” Sikhunjuzwa amazwi kamphostoli uPawulu: “Anazi yini ukuthi lowo enizinikela kuye ukuba nibe-yizinceku zokumlalela, niyizinceku zakhe enimlalelayo?” (Roma 6:16) Inguqulo kaJ. B. Phillips ihumusha lelivesi ngalendlela: “Ningabamandla enikhetha ukuwalalela.” Ake ucabange, ungaphansi kobushiqela bomkhuba ongenakuwulawula!

Ngenxa yokuthi umuntu osemusha ngokuvamile uphendukela ekuqambeni amanga, ukukhohlisa, nobusela ukuze asekele umkhuba wakhe, ubuhlobo bakhe nomkhaya wakubo ngokuqinisekile buyawohloka. Umagazini waseBrithani i-Young People Now uyaphawula: “Lapho uqaphela ukuthi usuyisela, umqambi-manga, nomthwalo kubantu obathandayo nabakuthandayo, ukuzihlonipha kwakho kuyawohloka.” Akungamangalisi ukuthi i-Harvard Mental Health Letter ibika ukuthi imilutha yokugembula iba “nokucindezeleka okukhulu, ukuphazamiseka ngenxa yokukhathazeka,” kanye nendathane yezinkinga ezingokomzimba, ‘njengezinkinga zokugayeka kokudla, ukuqwasha, ubuhlungu bekhanda, umfutho wegazi ophakeme ngokweqile, isifuba somoya, ubuhlungu bomhlane, nobuhlungu besifuba.’

Nokho, umphumela obhubhisa kunayo yonke umonakalo esimweni somuntu esingokomoya. IBhayibheli liyakulahla ukuhaha nokuthanda imali. (1 Korinte 5:10, 11; 1 Thimothewu 6:10) Njenganoma yikuphi ukulutheka, ukuba umlutha wokugembula ‘kuwukungcola kwenyama nokomoya.’ (2 Korinte 7:1) Lapho ugembula khona ngokwengeziwe, kulapho wonakalisa khona unembeza wakho nobuhlobo bakho noNkulunkulu ngokwengeziwe.—Qhathanisa neyoku-1 Thimothewu 4:2.

Isifiso Sokuyeka

Ungagqashula kanjani ekubanjweni yilomkhuba onjengonoxhaka? Okokuqala, kumelwe ukufune ngempela ukuyeka. “Akukho ukulutheka okungase kunqotshwe ngaphandle kwalapho umlutha ufuna ngempela ukushintsha,” kusho uLiz Hodgkinson encwadini yakhe ethi Addictions. Lokhu kusho ukufunda ‘ukuzonda okubi,’ ukwenyanya ukugembula. (IHubo 97:10) Kanjani? Ngokungacabangi ngezinjabulo zakho kodwa ngemiphumela yakho. Ingabe ‘ukuthokoza isikhashana esonweni’—injabulo yokuwina umdlalo othile—kukufanelekele ukulahlekelwa ukuphila okuphakade? (Heberu 11:25) Ukucabanga ngalendlela kungakusiza ukuba wakhe ukuzimisela kokuyeka.

Nokho, umcwaningi uLiz Hodgkinson uyaphawula: “Ukulutheka kwanoma yiluphi uhlobo kungagxila kakhulu kangangokuthi ukukuqeda kunjengokususa isitho esithile somzimba.” Kodwa uJesu wathi: “Uma iso lakho lokunene likukhubekisa, likhiphe, ulilahle; ngokuba kungcono kuwe ukuba kubhubhe sibe-sinye ezithweni zakho kunokuba wonke umzimba wakho uphonswe [eGehena].” (Mathewu 5:29) Konke okubeka ubuhlobo bakho noNkulunkulu engozini kumelwe ukugweme ekuphileni kwakho!

Lokhu kusho ukuhlakulela ukuzithiba. Umphostoli uPawulu wayenezifiso ezibeleselayo ayengazivumela ukuba zimnqobe, kodwa wakwenqaba ukuba isigqila sezifiso zakhe. Wathi, “Ngiyawutuba umzimba wami, ngiwenza isigqila.” (1 Korinte 9:27) Nawe futhi kumelwe ufunde ukuziphatha ngengalo eqinile, ungavumeli izifiso zakho ukuba zikulawule.

Ukuqala Emnyombweni Walenkinga

Nokho, ukunqoba lempi kuyodinga okungaphezu kokuzimisela. Ngokuvamile ukulutheka kuveza ezinye izinkinga ezijulile. Umlutha wokugembula okuthiwa uDick uthi: “Isikhathi sami sasebuntwaneni sasiyinqaba ngempela. Lwalungekho nakancane uthando emkhayeni wakithi. . . . Ngangidunyazwa ngaso sonke isikhathi. Ngangingazethembi ngempela.” Ngenxa yokucindezeleka okunjalo, waphendukela ekugembuleni.

Abaningi emkhakheni wezempilo yengqondo manje bahlanganisa izinhlobonhlobo zokulutheka nokushaqeka okungokomzwelo kokuxhashazwa nokunganakwa kwasebuntwaneni. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi isimo siyini, ukuqala emnyombweni wenkinga yakho kungase kukusize ukuba uyinqobe. Umhubi wathandaza: ‘Ngihlole, Nkulunkulu, wazi inhliziyo yami; ngilinge, wazi imicabango yami, ubone, uma kukhona indlela yosizi kimi, ungiholele endleleni yaphakade.’ (IHubo 139:23, 24, qhathanisa ne-NW.) Ukuxoxa ngemicabango yakho ekukhathazayo nomKristu ovuthiwe, mhlawumbe umdala ebandleni, kungenza lukhulu ekukusizeni ukuba uqonde isizathu esenza ukuba ugembule nalokho okumelwe ukwenze ukuze ushintshe izindlela zakho zokucabanga nokuziphatha.a

“Okuthile Okungcono”

Ngokwencwadi ethi Quit Compulsive Gambling, ukuyeka “kumane [kuyisinyathelo] sokuqala ekulwisaneni nalenkinga.” Kuyodingeka futhi ukuba wenze izinguquko ezinkulu endleleni yakho yokuphila. Ukuze uvimbele ukubuyela emuva, kumelwe ugweme abantu owawugembula nabo ngaphambili futhi uxwaye izindawo owawugembula kuzo, njengamakhasino, izindawo zokubheja, nezinye izindawo ezifanayo. (IzAga 13:20) Lokhu akusho ukuba uzehlukanise. (IzAga 18:1) Sebenzela ukuhlakulela ubuhlobo obunempilo, obakhayo ngaphakathi ebandleni lobuKristu. Zigcine umatasa ngomsebenzi ozuzisayo, imisebenzi engokomoya, nokuzijabulisa okuhle.

Nokho, uHodgkinson usikhumbuza ukuthi umlutha uyonqoba empini obhekene nayo kuphela uma “uqaphela ukuthi kunokuthile okungcono ndawana-thile—ukuthi ukuphila kunokuthile okwengeziwe okungakunikeza kunomzamo wokwanelisa lokulutheka.” Yini engaba ngcono kunethemba elinikezwa iBhayibheli?

Indoda ethile okuthiwa uRoddy yakuthola kuyiqiniso lokhu. Yazichaza ngokuthi “yayiwumgembuli owayelutheke ngokuphelele” iminyaka engu-25, kusukela lapho yayisanda kweva eminyakeni eyishumi nambili. URoddy wazama cishe zonke izinhlobo zokugembula—imijaho yamahhashi, imijaho yezinja, ukubheja ngemiphumela yebhola likanobhutshuzwayo, amakhasino okugembula. Kodwa waqala ukusebenzisa amaqiniso aseZwini likaNkulunkulu ayewafunde koFakazi BakaJehova. URoddy uthi: “Ezinyangeni ezintathu nje kuphela, kwenzeka ushintsho oluphawulekayo.” Wayeka ukugembula, futhi namuhla ukhonza njengomdala ebandleni lobuKristu.

Nokho, mhlawumbe kakade usunolwazi oluthile lwezimfundiso zeBhayibheli. NjengoDavid noThomas, okukhulunywe ngabo ekuqaleni, kungenzeka ukuthi kuze kube manje uye wahluleka ukwenza amaqiniso eBhayibheli abe ngawakho. Uma kunjalo, kungani ‘ungazihloleli ngokwakho intando kaNkulunkulu enhle, eyamukelekayo, nephelele’ ngokutadisha iBhayibheli ngenkuthalo? (Roma 12:2) Lapho nje uDavid noThomas beqala ukusebenzisa ababekufundile futhi bakha ukholo nokuqiniseka kwangempela, bakwazi ukunqoba ukulutha kokugembula. Nawe futhi ungakwenza!

Ukuzikhandla ekutadisheni iBhayibheli kuyokwenza ithemba leBhayibheli langesikhathi esizayo—okuthile okungcono kunokugembula—libe ngokoqobo ngokwengeziwe kuwe. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, kuyokusiza ukuba uhlakulele ubuhlobo bomuntu siqu noNkulunkulu. Kanjalo uyozizwa ukhululekile ukuba ‘uthandaze ngokungaphezi’ kuye ukuze uthole usizo, uqiniseka ukuthi uyayiqonda imizwa yakho. (1 Thesalonika 5:17; IHubo 103:14) Uyoyivuza imizamo yakho yenkuthalo ngokukunikeza amandla adingekayo ukuze unqobe impi ngokumelene nokuba umlutha wokugembula.—Galathiya 6:9; Filipi 4:13.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 16]

Ngokuvamile abagembuli baphendukela ekuqambeni amanga nobusela ukuze basekele umkhuba wabo wokugembula