Obani Ngempela Ababalekela Izinto Ezingokoqobo?
“UKUBALEKELA izinto ezingokoqobo.” Yilokho okwashiwo esinye isihlobo esikhonzini esisesisha ngesikhathi sithuthela eNingizimu Pacific ukuze siyohlanganyela emsebenzini wezithunywa zevangeli. Futhi abaningi bangavumelana nalomqondo. Ngokwesibonelo, umsakazi eNew Zealand, muva nje uye wezwakala esikisela ukuthi uma izimo ezingokomnotho zehla, inani elikhulu labantu liye likholelwe kuNkulunkulu njengohlobo lwe-escapism.a
Kodwa ingabe labo abanikela ukuphila kwabo ekuphishekeleni izithakazelo ezingokomoya ngempela bangababalekela izinto ezingokoqobo? Akunjalo ngokukaJesu Kristu. Akazange abheke ukukholelwa kuNkulunkulu njengokuzikhohlisa, into aziqambele yona, noma umbono nje awucabangelayo. KuJohane 7:28 wathi: “Angizizelanga, kodwa ongithumileyo uqinisile.”
Nokho, endabeni kaJesu, ukukholelwa kuNkulunkulu akumthintanga kwangaba namphumela. Washukunyiselwa ukuba anikezele ukuphila kwakhe kuNkulunkulu, ethi “Bheka, ngiyeza . . . ukuba ngiyenze, Nkulunkulu, intando yakho.” (Heberu 10:7) AmaKristu eqiniso namuhla nawo azizwa ngaleyondlela. Ngokwesibonelo, phawula iseluleko uPawulu asibhalela uThimothewu, umdala owayevelele ebandleni lekhulu lokuqala leminyaka. UPawulu wayazi ukuthi abathile ebandleni babenezinto ezibonakalayo eziningi. Kodwa ngenxa yokuthi ukholo lwabo lwalusekelwe ezintweni ezingokoqobo, babeyoshukunyiselwa ukuba basebenzise lezizinto. UPawulu wathi: “Yala abacebileyo kulelizwe lamanje ngokuthi bangakhukhumali, bangathembeli engcebeni engemiyo, kepha mabathembele kuNkulunkulu osicebisa ngakho konke, sithokoze ngakho, benze okuhle, bacebe ngemisebenzi emihle, baphane, babelane, bezibekelela isisekelo esihle sesikhathi esizayo, ukuze babambe ukuphila okuyikho.”—1 Thimothewu 6:17-19.
Ngakho-ke ubuKristu abukhona ukubalekela izinto ezingokoqobo. Buhilela ukubhekana nomthwalo wemfanelo ngesibindi. UNkulunkulu esimkhulekelayo akalona utalagu; kodwa ungokoqobo. Ukuphila kwenkonzo esikuphilayo kunenjongo futhi kuyanelisa. Ukuthembela kwethu emvuzweni wesikhathi esizayo, kunokuba kube okucatshangelwayo okungenasisekelo, kusekelwe ngokuqinile esithembisweni sikaNkulunkulu ongenakuqamba amanga.—Heberu 6:18.
Nokho, kuthiwani ngalabo abenqaba isidingo sokukhonza uNkulunkulu nabagxilisa ukuphila kwabo ezintweni ezibonakalayo noma emisebenzini ethile yobugovu? Kungenzeka yini ukuthi laba yibo ngempela ababalekela izinto ezingokoqobo?
Indoda ehlakaniphile uSolomoni yasebenzisa amazwi anjengokuthi “ize” “nokufuna umoya” ekuchazeni ukuphila okugxile ezintweni ezibonakalayo nasezinjabulweni zenyama. Wachaza umphumela, ethi: “Konke amehlo ami akufisayo angikugodlanga kuwo; angenqabelanga inhliziyo yami neyodwa intokozo, ngokuba inhliziyo yami yathokoza ngawo wonke umshikashika wami; lokho kwakuyisabelo sami kuwo wonke umshikashika wami. Ngase ngibhekana nemisebenzi yonke ezaziyenzile izandla zami, nomshikashika engangishikashikile ukuwenza; bheka, konke kwakuyize nokufuna umoya, akukho nzuzo phansi kwelanga.”—UmShumayeli 2:10, 11.
Yebo, ngisho nendlela yokuphila ngokuthanda izinto ezibonakalayo yamlethela injabulo ethile. Kodwa ukwaneliseka kwangempela nenjabulo ehlala njalo kwakuntuleka. Ukuphila okunjalo ngokuqinisekile “kuyize.” Ngempela, igama lesiHeberu elithi “ize” ngokwezwi nezwi lisho “umoya ophefumulwayo” futhi ngalokho libhekisela kulokho okuguquguqukayo nokungahlali njalo. Kungakho iThe New English Bible isebenzisa igama elithi “ubala.”
Ngakho-ke, ingabe umuntu ophila uhlobo lokuphila uSolomoni athi ‘luyize’ usesimweni sokubeka umKristu icala lokubalekela esimweni sokwaneliseka kokuzikhohlisa? Lutho neze. Eqinisweni, umphostoli uPawulu uqhubeka ebonisa ukuthi “isimo salelizwe siyadlula [“siyaguquguquka,” NW].” (1 Korinte 7:31) Lapha ufanisa izwe elingamesabi uNkulunkulu nomdlalo onezigcawu ezishintshashintshayo. Okubonakala namuhla kukuhle, kuthandeka, ngisho kubukeka, kungenzeka kusasa kube sekushintshile. “Abadlali” banamuhla ngokuhamba kwesikhathi indawo yabo ithathwa abanye. Nokho ngayo yonke imizamo yabo, ukuphila kwabo akunayo inzuzo ehlala njalo. Abanalo ithemba eliqinisekile ngekusasa.
Kunjengoba uPhilip Chesterfield, inceku neqaphuqaphu eliyiNgisi lekhulu le-18 leminyaka asho ngokufanelekile: “Ngiye ngaphishekela lonke uhlobo lwenjabulo, futhi ngalufinyelela. Ngiye ngajabulela zonke izinjabulo zomhlaba, futhi ngizilinganisa ngenzuzo yazo engokoqobo, leyo eqinisweni encane kakhulu . . . Uma ngikhumbula lokho engiye ngakubona, . . . nalokho engiye ngakwenza, anginakusho ukuthi wonke lowomjaho oyize nokugijimela izinjabulo emhlabeni kuye kwaba okungokoqobo.”
Nokho, amaKristu afana noAbrahama ‘owayebheke umuzi onezisekelo, omakhi nomenzi wawo nguNkulunkulu.’ (Heberu 11:10) Ngenxa yokuthi ukholo lwawo luqinisekile, asikho isidingo sokuba abalekele izinto ezingokoqobo kodwa esokuba agcwalise ukuthunywa kwawo ngomsebenzi owanelisayo. Kuthiwani ngokuphila kwakho? Ingabe kumane nje kuwukubalekela izinto ezingokoqobo noma ingabe kusekelwe ngokuqinile ezintweni ezingokoqobo?
[Umbhalo waphansi]
a Igama elithi “escapism” lisho “ukucabanga njalo ngezinto ezingekho, ngenjongo yokubalekela izinto ezingokoqobo,” noma “ukugwema izinto ezingokoqobo ngokugxilisa ingqondo . . . esimweni esicatshangelwayo, emsebenzini, njll.”