Lifa Lini Okufanele Ulibekele Abantwana Bakho?
UPAVLOS, indoda enomkhaya yaseningizimu Yurophu, kuyaqabukela esekhaya ukuze achithe isikhathi nomkakhe kanye nabantwana bakhe—amadodakazi amabili, enye eneminyaka engu-13 nenye enengu-11, kanye nendodana eneminyaka engu-7 ubudala. Isonto lonke uPavlos usebenza amashifu amabili amade ezama ukuthola imali eyanele ukuze afeze iphupho lakhe. Ufuna ukuthengela ngayinye yamadodakazi akhe indlu, futhi ufuna ukuqalela indodana yakhe ibhizinisi elincane. Umkakhe, uSofia, uyazikhandla eqongelela izinto ezenziwe ngelineni, izinto zasekhishini, izitsha ezifayo nezinto okudliwa ngazo eziyosetshenziswa abantwana babo kule mizi yabo. Uma bebuzwa ukuthi kungani bezikhandla kangaka, baphendula ngazwi linye bathi, “Sisebenzela abantwana bethu!”
NjengoPavlos noSofia, abazali abaningi emhlabeni wonke benza konke okusemandleni abo ukuze banike abantwana babo isiqalo esihle ekuphileni. Abanye babekela abantwana babo imali abayoyisebenzisa uma sebekhulile. Abanye bayaqikelela ukuba abantwana babo bathole imfundo eyanele nokuba bafunde amakhono ayoba usizo kamuva ekuphileni. Nakuba abazali abaningi bebheka lezi zipho njengefa lothando, ngokuvamile ukwenza amalungiselelo anjalo kubacindezela kakhulu abazali ukuba bafeze lokho okulindelwe izihlobo, abangane kanye nomphakathi abaphila kuwo. Ngakho-ke, abazali abakhathalelayo bazibuza kufanele, ‘Kufanele sibabekele okungakanani abantwana bethu?’
Ukulungiselela Isikhathi Esizayo
Akuyona imfuneko engokwemvelo kuphela kodwa futhi kuyimfuneko engokomBhalo ukuba abazali abangamaKristu baqongelelele abantwana babo. Umphostoli uPawulu watshela amaKristu osuku lwakhe: “Ngoba abantwana akufanele baqongelelele abazali‚ kodwa ngabazali okufanele baqongelelele abantwana babo.” (2 Korinte 12:14) UPawulu waqhubeka wathi ukunakekela kwabazali kuyisibopho esingathí sina. Wabhala: “Ngokuqinisekile uma umuntu engabondli abakubo, ikakhulukazi labo abangamalungu endlu yakhe, uluphikile ukholo futhi mubi kakhulu kunomuntu ongenalo ukholo.” (1 Thimothewu 5:8) Ukulandisa okuningi kweBhayibheli kubonisa ukuthi izindaba zamafa zazibalulekile ezincekwini zikaNkulunkulu ngezikhathi zeBhayibheli.—Ruthe 2:19, 20; 3:9-13; 4:1-22; Jobe 42:15.
Nokho, ngezinye izikhathi abazali bagxila kakhulu ekuqongeleleleni abantwana babo ifa elikhulu. Kungani? UManolis, ubaba owathuthela e-United States esuka eningizimu Yurophu, uphawula esinye isizathu: “Abazali abahlukunyezwa umonakalo weMpi Yezwe II, indlala nobumpofu, bazimisele ukuthuthukisa ukuphila kwabantwana babo.” Uyanezela: “Ngenxa yomuzwa wabo oweqisayo wokuba nomthwalo wemfanelo nesifiso sokunikeza abantwana babo isiqalo esingcono kakhulu ekuphileni, ngezinye izikhathi abazali bazigwaza ngowabo.” Ngempela, abanye abazali bazincisha izinto abazidingayo ekuphileni ukuze baqongelelele abantwana babo izinto ezibonakalayo. Kodwa ingabe kuwukuhlakanipha ngabazali ukuba benze ngaleyo ndlela?
‘Ize Nenhlekelele Enkulu’
Inkosi yakwa-Israyeli wasendulo, uSolomoni, yaxwayisa maqondana namafa. Yabhala: “Mina, yebo, mina ngawuzonda wonke umsebenzi wami onzima engangiwusebenza kanzima phansi kwelanga, engangiyowushiya ngemuva ngiwushiyele umuntu owayeyoba khona ngemva kwami. Futhi ubani owaziyo ukuthi uyoba ngohlakaniphile yini noma oyisiwula? Nokho uyowulawula wonke umsebenzi wami onzima engawusebenza kanzima futhi ngabonisa ukuhlakanipha kuwo phansi kwelanga. Nalokhu kuyize. . . . Ngoba kukhona umuntu omsebenzi wakhe onzima uye waba ngokuhlakanipha nangolwazi nangobungoti, kodwa isabelo salowo muntu siyonikwa umuntu ongazange asebenze kanzima entweni enjalo. Nalokhu kuyize nenhlekelele enkulu.”—UmShumayeli 2:18-21.
Njengoba uSolomoni echaza, labo abathola ifa bangase bangalazisi ngokugcwele ngenxa yokuthi abazange balisebenzele kanzima. Ngenxa yalokho, izindlalifa zingakuphatha ngobuwula lokho abazali abakusebenzela kanzima beqongelelela bona. Zingase zilisaphaze nokulisaphaza leli fa elitholakale kanzima kanjalo. (Luka 15:11-16) Yeka ukuthi lokho bekungaba ‘yize nenhlekelele enkulu’ kangakanani!
Ifa Nokuhaha
Kunokunye futhi abazali okudingeka bakucabangele. Ezizweni ezigxile kakhulu endabeni yamafa nezipho zomshado, abantwana bangaba nokuhaha, bafune ukuphiwa indawo, noma izipho zomshado, abazali abangeke bakwazi ukuzifinyelela. “Maye kubaba onamadodakazi amabili noma amathathu,” kukhala uLoukas, ubaba waseGrisi. Uthi: “Amadodakazi angaqhathanisa lokho uyise akwazi ukuwanika kona ‘nokuningi’ abanye abazali abakuqongelelela abantwana babo. Angase athi amathuba awo okushada ayoncipha uma engenaso isipho somshado esanelisayo.”
UManolis, okukhulunywe ngaye ekuqaleni, uthi: “Insizwa ingelula isikhathi sokuqomisana kuze kube yilapho uyise wengoduso eyithembisa okuthile azoyinika kona, ngokuvamile indawo noma isamba esikhulu semali. Kungaba uhlobo oluthile lokuqola.”
IBhayibheli lixwayisa ngazo zonke izinhlobo zokuhaha. USolomoni wabhala: “Ifa litholwa ngokuhaha ekuqaleni, kodwa ikusasa lalo ngeke libusiswe.” (IzAga 20:21) Umphostoli uPawulu wagcizelela: “Uthando lwemali luyimpande yazo zonke izinhlobo zezinto ezilimazayo.”—1 Thimothewu 6:10; Efesu 5:5.
“Ukuhlakanipha Kanye Nefa”
Yiqiniso, ifa linakho ukubaluleka okuthile, kodwa ukuhlakanipha kubaluleke kakhulu kunezinto ezibonakalayo. INkosi uSolomoni yabhala: “Ukuhlakanipha kanye nefa kuhle futhi kunenzuzo . . . Ngoba ukuhlakanipha kuyisivikelo njengoba nje nemali iyisivikelo; kodwa inzuzo yolwazi iwukuthi ukuhlakanipha kona kuyabalonda abaninikho.” (UmShumayeli 7:11, 12; IzAga 2:7; 3:21) Nakuba imali inganikeza isivikelo esithile, yenze umniniyo athole akudingayo, kodwa ingaphela. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, ukuhlakanipha—ikhono lokusebenzisa ulwazi ekuxazululeni izinkinga noma ukufinyelela imigomo ethile—kungalonda umuntu ezingozini zobuwula. Uma kusekelwe ekwesabeni uNkulunkulu okufanele, kungamsiza ukuba athole ukuphila okuphakade ezweni elisha likaNkulunkulu elizofika ngokushesha—ifa eliyigugu ngempela!—2 Petru 3:13.
Abazali abangamaKristu babonisa ukuhlakanipha okunjalo ngokwenza izinto ezifanele zize kuqala ekuphileni kwabo nokwabantwana babo. (Filipi 1:10) Izinto ezibonakalayo eziqongelelelwa abantwana akufanele zize ngaphambi kwezinto ezingokomoya. UJesu wakhuthaza abalandeli bakhe: “Ngakho, qhubekani nifuna kuqala umbuso [kaNkulunkulu] nokulunga kwakhe, khona-ke zonke lezi ezinye izinto niyozenezelelwa.” (Mathewu 6:33) Abazali ababekela imikhaya yabo engamaKristu imigomo engokomoya bangalindela ukuthola umvuzo omkhulu. Inkosi ehlakaniphile uSolomoni yabhala: “Uyise wolungile nakanjani uyojabula; nalowo ozala ohlakaniphile uyothokoza ngaye futhi. Uyihlo nonyoko bayothokoza, nonyoko owakuzala uyojabula.”—IzAga 23:24, 25.
Ifa Laphakade
Kuma-Israyeli asendulo, izindaba zamafa zazibaluleke kakhulu. (1 AmaKhosi 21:2-6) Nokho, uJehova wawayala: “La mazwi engikuyala ngawo namuhla kumelwe abe senhliziyweni yakho; kumelwe uwagxilise kubantwana bakho futhi ukhulume ngawo lapho uhleli endlini yakho nalapho uhamba endleleni nalapho ulala nalapho uvuka.” (Duteronomi 6:6, 7) Abazali abangamaKristu batshelwa okufanayo: “Qhubekani nibakhulisa [abantwana benu] ngesiyalo nangokuqondisa umqondo kukaJehova.”—Efesu 6:4.
Abazali abanombono ongokomoya bayaqaphela ukuthi ukondla imikhaya yabo kuhlanganisa nokunikeza isiyalo esivela eBhayibhelini. U-Andreas, ubaba wabantwana abathathu, uthi: “Uma abantwana befunda ukusebenzisa izimiso zikaNkulunkulu ekuphileni kwabo, bayolihlomela kangcono ikusasa.” Futhi ifa elinjalo ligxile ekubasizeni ukuba bakhe futhi bahlakulele ubuhlobo bomuntu siqu noMdali wabo.—1 Thimothewu 6:19.
Uke wakucabangela yini ukulungiselela ikusasa elingokomoya lomntwana wakho? Ngokwesibonelo, yini abazali abangayenza uma umntwana wabo efuna ukuhlala enkonzweni yesikhathi esigcwele? Nakuba isikhonzi sesikhathi esigcwele kungafanele sifune noma silindele ukusekelwa ngokwezimali, abazali abanothando banganquma ‘ukuhlanganyela izinto naso ngokwezidingo zaso’ ukuze basisize sihlale enkonzweni yesikhathi esigcwele. (Roma 12:13; 1 Samuweli 2:18, 19; Filipi 4:14-18) Ngokuqinisekile isimo sengqondo esinjalo sokusekela siyamjabulisa uJehova.
Ngakho-ke, yini abazali okufanele bayibekele abantwana babo? Ngaphandle kokubaqongelelela izinto ezibonakalayo, abazali abangamaKristu bayoqiniseka ukuthi abantwana babo bathola ifa elingokomoya elicebile eliyobazuzisa phakade. Ngaleyo ndlela, amazwi atholakala kuyiHubo 37:18 ayoba yiqiniso: “UJehova uyaziqaphela izinsuku zabangenaphutha, ifa labo liyoqhubeka kuze kube nini nanini.”
[Izithombe ekhasini 26, 27]
Ufuna abantwana bakho babe nekusasa elinjani?