Liliphi Ilifa Ofanele Ulishiyele Abantwana Bakho?
UPAVLOS, indoda enentsapho yasemzantsi Yurophu, ayifane ibekho ekhaya ukuze ichithe ixesha nomfazi nabantwana bayo—iintombi ezimbini, ezineminyaka eli-13 neli-11, nonyana oneminyaka esi-7 ubudala. Iintsuku ezisixhenxe ngeveki uPavlos usebenza iiyure ezininzi ngosuku, efuna ukufumana imali eyaneleyo ukuze afeze iphupha lakhe. Ufuna ukuthengela iintombi zakhe izindlu, aze aqalise ishishini elincinane eliza kuba lelonyana wakhe. Umfazi wakhe, uSofia, usebenzela ukuthengela abantwana bakhe neentsapho zabo xa sele betshatile iingubo namalaphu, izinto zasekhitshini, izitya namacephe esilivere. Xa bebuzwa ngesizathu sokuba basebenze nzima kangaka, baphendula bobabini besithi, “Senzela abantwana bethu!”
NjengoPavlos noSofia, abazali abaninzi emhlabeni wonke benza okusemandleni abo ukuze abantwana babo baqale ubomi kakuhle. Abanye bagcin’ imali belungiselela ikamva labantwana babo. Abanye bayaqiniseka ukuba inzala yabo ifumana imfundo eyaneleyo ize ifunde ubuchule obuza kuyizuzisa kamva ebomini. Nangona abazali abaninzi bazigqala izipho ezinjalo njengokubonisa uthando, ukwenza amalungiselelo anjalo kudla ngokubacinizela kakhulu abazali ukuze bakwazi ukufeza oko kulindelwe zizalamane, abahlobo nabantu basekuhlaleni. Ngoko ke, abazali abanenkxalabo bafanele bazibuze, ‘Yintoni esifanele siyishiyele abantwana bethu?’
Ukulungiselela Ikamva
Ukulungiselela abantwana babo asinto nje yokwemvelo kubazali abangamaKristu kodwa kufunwa naziZibhalo. Umpostile uPawulos wathi kumaKristu omhla wakhe: “Abazali bafanele balungiselele abantwana babo, kungekhona abantwana abalungiselela abazali babo.” (2 Korinte 12:14, The New English Bible) UPawulos wahlabela mgama esithi kuyimbopheleleko ebalulekileyo kubazali ukulungiselela abantwana babo. Wabhala: “Ngokuqinisekileyo ukuba nabani na akabalungiseleli abo bangabakhe, ngokukodwa amalungu endlu yakhe, ngokuqinisekileyo ulukhanyele ukholo yaye mbi ngaphezu kongakholwayo.” (1 Timoti 5:8) Iingxelo eziliqela zeBhayibhile zibonisa ukuba imibandela yelifa yayibalulekile phakathi kwabakhonzi bakaThixo ngamaxesha okubhalwa kweBhayibhile.—Rute 2:19, 20; 3:9-13; 4:1-22; Yobhi 42:15.
Noko ke, maxa wambi abazali bazixakekisa gqitha ngokulungiselela abantwana babo ilifa elikhulu. Ngoba? UManolis, ubawo owashiya elasemzantsi Yurophu efudukela eUnited States, uchaza esinye isizathu: “Abazali ababandakanyeka kwiinkxwaleko zeMfazwe Yehlabathi II, indlala nobuhlwempu, bazimisele ukubenzela ikamva elibhetele abantwana babo.” Wongezelela ngelithi: “Kuba bezibaxa iimbopheleleko zabo nomnqweno wokufuna abantwana babo baqalise ubomi kakuhle kangangoko kunokwenzeka, maxa wambi abazali bazifaka ezingxakini.” Eneneni, abanye abazali bazibandeza izinto ebomini ukuze balungiselele inzala yabo izinto eziphathekayo. Kodwa ngaba kububulumko ngabazali ukuba baphile ubomi obunjalo?
“Amampunge Nentlekele Enkulu”
UKumkani uSolomon wakwaSirayeli wamandulo walumkisa ngokuthile xa wayethetha ngelifa. Wabhala: “Mna, ndakuthiya ukusebenza nzima endakwenzayo phantsi kwelanga, ekubeni ndiya kukushiya nomntu oya kubakho emva kwam. Yaye ngubani na okwaziyo ukuba uya kuba sisilumko okanye uya kuba sisidenge? Kanti uya kukulawula konke ukusebenza kwam nzima endakusebenzayo nendabonisa ubulumko ngako phantsi kwelanga. Kwanako oku kungamampunge. . . . Kuba kukho umntu omsebenzi wakhe onzima ungowobulumko nokwazi nobugcisa, kodwa umntu ongayisebenzelanga nzima loo nto uya kunikwa isahlulo sakhe. Kwanako oku kungamampunge nentlekele enkulu.”—INtshumayeli 2:18-21.
Njengoko uSolomon ecacisa, abo bafumana ilifa basenokungaliqondi ixabiso lalo kuba bengalisebenzelanga. Ngenxa yoko, iindlalifa zinokukusebenzisa njengezidenge oko abazali bazo bebekusebenzela nzima bekuqokelela. Zisenokude ziyisafaze loo nto isetyenzelwe nzima. (Luka 15:11-16) Oku “kungamampunge nentlekele enkulu”!
Ilifa Nokunyoluka
Kukho nenye into abazali abafanele bayiqwalasele. Kwezinye iindawo ezizixhalabele kakhulu izinto zamafa nekhazi, abantwana basenokunyoluka, beyifuna ngenkani indlu, okanye ikhazi elingaphezu kwamandla abazali babo. ULoukas, ubawo ohlala eGrisi uthi: “Unelishwa ke ubawo oneentombi ezimbini okanye ezintathu.” Uthi: “Iintombi zinokuthelekisa oko uyise anokukwazi ukuzinika kona nezinto abanye abazali abanokuzinika abantwana babo. Zisenokuthi amathuba azo okuba zitshatwe ayancipha ukuba azikwazi ukuzisa ikhazi elifanelekileyo.”
UManolis, okhankanywe ngaphambilana, uthi: “Umntu oselula usenokuthabatha ixesha elide xa ethandana nentombazana ngaphambi kokuba ayitshate de uyise wentombazana leyo amthembise into ethile, ngokuqhelekileyo indlu okanye imali eninzi. Oku kusenokuba ngathi unetyala lemali eninzi.”
IBhayibhile ilumkisa ngazo zonke iintlobo zokunyoluka. USolomon wabhala: “Ilifa lifunyanwa ngokubawa ekuqaleni, kodwa ikamva lalo aliyi kusikelelwa.” (IMizekeliso 20:21) Umpostile uPawulos wagxininisa esithi: “Ukuthanda imali yingcambu yazo zonke iintlobo zobubi.”—1 Timoti 6:10; Efese 5:5.
“Ubulumko Kunye Nelifa”
Liyinyaniso elokuba, ilifa libalulekile, kodwa ubulumko bubaluleke kakhulu kunezinto eziphathekayo. UKumkani uSolomon wabhala: “Bulungile ubulumko kunye nelifa yaye buyingenelo . . . Kuba ubulumko buyakhusela njengokuba nemali ikhusela; kodwa ingenelo yolwazi kukuba ubulumko bubagcina bephila abo banabo.” (INtshumayeli 7:11, 12; IMizekeliso 2:7; 3:21) Nangona imali ilikhusi, ibangela lowo unayo akwazi ukufumana oko akufunayo, isenokulahleka. Kwelinye icala, ubulumko—amandla okwazi ukusebenzisa ulwazi ekucombululeni iingxaki okanye ekufikeleleni usukelo oluthile—bunokukukhusela ekuzifakeni engxakini. Xa busekelwe ekoyikeni uThixo, bunokumnceda umntu afumane ubomi obungunaphakade kwihlabathi elitsha likaThixo eliza kubakho kungekudala—elo lilifa elixabisekileyo ngokwenene!—2 Petros 3:13.
Abazali abangamaKristu babonakalisa ubulumko obunjalo ngokubeka izinto ezibalulekileyo kuqala kubomi babo nakubomi babantwana babo. (Filipi 1:10) Izinto eziphathekayo eziqokelelwe ukuze zisetyenziswe ngabantwana azifanele zize kuqala kunezinto zokomoya. UYesu wakhuthaza abalandeli bakhe esithi: “Qhubekani, ke ngoko, nifuna kuqala ubukumkani [bukaThixo] nobulungisa bakhe, yaye zonke ezinye izinto ziya kongezelelwa kuni.” (Mateyu 6:33) Abazali abazibekela usukela lokomoya iintsapho zabo ezingamaKristu banokulindela umvuzo omkhulu. UKumkani uSolomon osisilumko wabhala: “Uyise welungisa ngaphandle kwamathandabuzo uya kuvuya; nalowo uzala isilumko uya kuba nemihlali ngaso. Uyihlo nonyoko baya kuba nemihlali, yaye lowo ukuzeleyo uya kuvuya.”—IMizekeliso 23:24, 25.
Ilifa Elihlala Lihleli
KumaSirayeli amandulo izinto zelifa zazibaluleke gqitha. (1 Kumkani 21:2-6) Noko ke, uYehova wawabongoza esithi: “La mazwi ndikuyalela wona namhlanje amele abe sentliziyweni yakho; uze uwabethelele kunyana wakho yaye uthethe ngawo ekuhlaleni kwakho endlwini yakho, nasekuhambeni kwakho ngendlela, nasekulaleni kwakho, nasekuvukeni kwakho.” (Duteronomi 6:6, 7) Ngokufanayo abazali abangamaKristu baxelelwa oku: “Qhubekani nibakhulisela [abantwana benu] kwingqeqesho nasekweyiselweni kwengqondo kuYehova.”—Efese 6:4.
Abazali abacinga ngezinto zokomoya bayaqonda ukuba ukulungiselela iintsapho zabo kuquka ukuzifundisa iBhayibhile. Ubawo wabantwana abathathu, uAndreas uthi: “Ukuba abantwana bafunda ukusebenzisa imigaqo kaThixo ebomini babo, baya kulilungela ngakumbi ikamva.” Kwakhona ilifa elinjalo libanceda baqalise baze bahlakulele ulwalamano oluhle noMdali wabo.—1 Timoti 6:19.
Ngaba ukhe wacinga ngokulungiselela ikamva lokomoya lomntwana wakho? Ngokomzekelo, abazali banokwenza ntoni xa umntwana wabo efuna ukuqalisa inkonzo yexesha elizeleyo? Nangona umlungiseleli wexesha elizeleyo engafanele afune okanye alindele ukuxhaswa ngokwemali, abazali abanothando basenokugqiba kwelokuba ‘babelane naye ngokweemfuno zakhe’ ukuze bamncede ahlale kwinkonzo yexesha elizeleyo. (Roma 12:13; 1 Samuweli 2:18, 19; Filipi 4:14-18) Ngokuqinisekileyo inkxaso enjalo iyamkholisa uYehova.
Ngoko ke, yintoni abazali abafanele bayishiyele abantwana babo? Ngaphandle kokubalungiselela izinto eziphathekayo, abazali abangamaKristu baya kuqiniseka ukuba abantwana babo bafumana ilifa lokomoya elixabisekileyo eliya kubazuzisa ngonaphakade. Ngaloo ndlela, amazwi afumaneka kwiNdumiso 37:18 aya kuzaliseka: “UYehova uyayiqonda imihla yabo bangenamposiso, nelifa labo liya kuqhubeka ukusa kwixesha elingenammiselo.”
[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 26, 27]
Ucinga ukubalungiselela liphi ikamva abantwana bakho?