Abantu Abaselula Bayabuza . . .
Yintoni Ephosakeleyo Ngokuzenzela Imali?
“NGOKWENENE imali yeyona nto ibalulekileyo ehlabathini.” Watsho njalo uGeorge Bernard Shaw ongumbhali wemidlalo yeqonga waseBritani. Ngaba uyavumelana naye? Mhlawumbi uvakalelwa ngokufanayo noTanya oneminyaka eli-17 ubudala, othi: “Andifuni ukuba sisityebi, kunoko nje ndifuna ukuma kakuhle.” UAvian oselula ngokufanayo uyibona imali, hayi njengeyona nto ibalulekileyo ehlabathini, kodwa njengento esebenzisekayo ukuphumeza okuthile. Uthi: “Imali iyimfuneko kwiimfuno zam ezinjengempahla, nento yokuhamba.”
Ngaba ubusazi ukuba iBhayibhile iyangqinelana noku? KwiNtshumayeli 7:12, kuthiwa “imali ingumthunzi.” Ubuhlwempu buye bachazwa “njengolona tshaba lukhulu kulonwabo lwabantu.” Yaye ukuba nemali eyaneleyo kungakukhusela—ukusa kumkhamo othile—kwiingxaki ngokufuthi ubuhlwempu obuzibangelayo. Kwakhona imali ingakukhusela kwiintlekele ezingalindelekanga. UPhyllis oselula uthi: “IBhayibhile ithi ‘ngokuba sonke siphela sifikelwa lixesha nasisihlo.’ Asilazi ukuba lifika nini ixesha lobunzima, ngoko sifuna ukuba nemali eselugcinweni.” (INtshumayeli 9:11) Yaye kwanaxa imali isenokubonakala ibalulekile kuwe ngoku, isenokuba luncedo ngakumbi kwikamva lakho.
“Umnqweno Omkhulu Wokuthanda Izinto Eziphathekayo”
Kodwa ngoxa kuyinto engokwemvelo ukuba nenkxalabo ethile ngokuba nemali eyaneleyo yaye kungento imbi, kolunye ulutsha imali iphantse yaba yeyona nto ulutsha lucinga ngayo. Xa ulutsha olungaphezu kwe-160 000 lwabuzwayo, “Yintoni eyona nto niyifuna ngamandla ebomini?,” olungama-22 ekhulwini lwaphendula lwathi, “Ukuba zizityebi.”
Alithandabuzeki elokuba lo mnqweno wemali uphenjelelwa koko iphephancwadi iNewsweek elikubiza ngokuba “ngumnqweno omkhulu wokuthanda izinto eziphathekayo” oye wagubungela ihlabathi. UMartin oneminyaka eli-18 ubudala uthi: “Ndingumntu ozithanda gqitha izinto eziphathekayo kwaye ndithanda izinto zodidi. Ndikholelwa kakhulu ekubeni ufumana oko ubukuhlawulele. Ngenxa yoko, ndichitha imali eninzi xa ndithenga izinto endizifunayo.” UMartin asikuphela komntu oselula ‘ochitha imali eninzi.’ IU.S.News & World Report inikela le ngxelo: “Kunyaka ophelileyo, [eUnited States] abantu abakubudala beminyaka eli-12 ukusa kweli-19 ubudala bachitha eyona mali ininzi ekuthengeni izinto, i-109 lamawaka ezigidi zeedola [zii-R483 amawaka ezigidi], ulwando lwama-38 ekhulwini ngaphezu kowe-1990.”
Noko ke, olu lutsha luyifumana phi le mali yokuthenga zonke ezi mpahla, iicompact disc, kunye nezixhobo zekhompyutha? Ngokutsho kweU.S.News & World Report: “Phantse isiqingatha sabo bonke aba bantu bakubudala be-16 ukusa kwi-19 banemisebenzi yesingxungxo.” Ukuba izinto zenziwa ngolungelelwano, umsebenzi wasemva kweeyure zesikolo unokuba nazo iingenelo, ezinjengokufundisa oselula ukusingatha imbopheleleko. Noko ke, ngokucacileyo ulutsha oluthile luye luzibaxe izinto kule nkalo. Ngokutsho kwephephancwadi iNewsweek: “Izazi ngokusebenza kwengqondo nabafundisi-ntsapho babona ukudinwa kubafundi [abasebenzayo]. Banexesha elincinane lokwenza umsebenzi wesikolo wasekhaya, kwaye nabafundisi-ntsapho ababukela ngokuthe rhoqo abafundi abadiniweyo bezama ukuhlala bephaphamile amaxesha amaninzi bayawuhlisa umgangatho wemfundo.”
Sekunjalo, bambalwa abantu abaselula abasebenzayo abakulungeleyo ukuyeka iindlela zabo zokufumana imali. UVanessa oselula uthi: “Isikolo sibalulekile, kodwa nemali ngokufanayo. Umsebenzi wesikolo owenziwa ekhaya awuhlawuli.” Kubaluleke kangakanani ukwenza imali kuwe? Ngaba ukwenza imali eninzi kulusukelo lwakho ebomini?
‘Ukuzimisela Ukuba Sisityebi’
IBhayibhile iyathetha ngale mibuzo. Umpostile uPawulos wabhala: “Abo bazimisele ukuba zizityebi bawela ekuhendweni nakumgibe nakwiminqweno emininzi yokungabi nangqiqo neyenzakalisayo, ephosela abantu entshabalalweni nasekonakaleni. Kuba ukuthanda imali yingcambu yazo zonke iintlobo zezinto ezimbi, yaye ngokuzabalazela olu thando bambi baye balahlekaniswa nokholo kwaye baye bazixhokroza kuyo yonke indawo ngeentlungu ezininzi.”—1 Timoti 6:9, 10.
Ngokuqinisekileyo uPawulos wayeyazi into awayeyithetha. Ngaphambi kokuba abe ngumKristu, wayengomnye weenkokeli zonqulo ezaziwa ngokuba ‘ngabaFarisi,’ abo iBhayibhile ibachaza ‘njengabathandi bemali.’ (Luka 16:14) Sekunjalo, lo mpostile wayengagwebi ukwenza imali kona ngokwako. Kunoko, wanikela isilumkiso kwabo “bazimisele ukuba zizityebi” okanye, njengokuba enye inguqulelo ikubeka, kubantu “abamilisele iintliziyo zabo ekubeni zizityebi.” (Phillips) Kodwa yintoni embi kangako ngokwenza oko?
Njengokuba uPawulos wacacisayo, abantu abanjalo “bawela ekuhendweni nakumgibe.” IMizekeliso 28:20 ivelisa ingongoma efanayo xa isithi: “Ke yena ongxamayo ukuba sisityebi, akabi msulwa.” Lucinga ukuba alunako konke olukufunayo, lumbi ulutsha lugqibela ngokuba ngamasela.
Liyinyaniso elokuba, inkoliso yolutsha alucingi ngokuba ngamasela. Kodwa lumbi lusenokuzibandakanya kwihambo eyingozi efanayo. IChristianity Today inikela le ngxelo: “Zimbi izazi ngalo mbandela zikholelwa ukuba ukungcakaza ngokugqithiseleyo kuye kwaba ngowona mkhwa ukhula ngokukhawuleza okhobokisa ulutsha.” Kwindawo nje enye yaseUnited States, “phantse i-90 ekhulwini lolutsha luye lwathenga ngokungekho mthethweni amatikiti okungcakaza kunyaka walo wokugqibela kumabanga aphakamileyo.” Lumbi ulutsha lugqibela ngokubhenela nakweyona yokugqibela. UMatthew oneminyaka eli-16 ubudala uthi: “Kunzima ukufumana imisebenzi efanelekileyo. Ngoko ndifumana inkoliso yemali yam ngokurhweba nangokuthengisa izinto. . . . Maxa wambi [ndandidla] ngokuthengisa [iziyobisi].”
‘Ukuwela Ekonakaleni’
Liyinyaniso elokuba, ukuba nemali kusenokumbangela ubani azive engaxhomekekanga mntwini. Kodwa njengokuba uPawulos ecacisa, ekugqibeleni, ukusukela imali kunokwenza ubani ikhoboka ‘leminqweno emibi neyonakalisayo, ephosela abantu entshabalalweni nasekonakaleni.’ Ewe, xa ukuthanda imali kwendele kuwe, umnqweno owenzakalisayo, umona obulalayo, neminye iminqweno eyenzakalisayo isenokukulawula. (Thelekisa eyabaseKolose 3:5.) Inqaku elikwiphephancwadi i’Teen lathi lumbi ulutsha lusenokuba nomona kakhulu ngeenqwelo-mafutha neempahla olunye ulutsha olunazo “kangangokude lucinezeleke.” Eli nqaku longezelela ngokuthi umona onjalo maxa wambi “ungendela nzulu de ubangele ukuzicekisa, yaye lowo uselula akakwazi ukucinga nangantoni na ngaphandle koko angenako.”
Ngoko ke, phawula ukuba umnqweno wokufuna ukutyeba awubangeli kuphela ubani ‘awele ekuhendweni’ kodwa kwakhona unokubangela ubani ‘aphoseleke entshabalalweni nasekonakaleni.’ Umhlalutyi weBhayibhile uAlbert Barnes uthi: “Unokuba nombono wobutyobo, xa inqanawa nako konke okukuyo, kuzika. Oku kuthetha intshabalalo epheleleyo. Ulonwabo luyaphela, kuphele isidima, igama elihle nenjongo yokuphila.”—Thelekisa eyoku-1 kuTimoti 1:19.
Ngoko ke, enyanisile, uPawulos uthi ‘ukuthanda imali ngokugqithiseleyo yingcambu yazo zonke iintlobo zezinto ezimbi.’ Ngenxa yako “bambi baye balahlekaniswa nokholo kwaye baye bazixhokroza kuyo yonke indawo ngeentlungu ezininzi.” Ngokomzekelo, cinga ngoselula esiza kumbiza ngokuthi nguRory. Xa wayeneminyaka eli-12 ubudala waqalisa ukungcakaza. Ekhumbula uthi: “Le yayiyindlela yokufumana imali ungakhange wenze nto.” Kungekudala, wayenamatyala angamakhulu eerandi kwaye wayengabakhathalele abahlobo bakhe, intsapho yakowabo, nomsebenzi wakhe wesikolo. Uyavuma esithi: “Ndazama ukuyeka,” kodwa ngokuphindaphindiweyo woyisakala. Waqhubeka ‘ezixhokroza kuyo yonke indawo ngeentlungu ezininzi’ de wafuna uncedo xa wayeneminyaka eli-19 ubudala. Ngenxa yoku umbhali uDouglas Kennedy wayengazibaxi izinto xa, kwincwadi yakhe ethi Chasing Mammon, wabiza ukusukela imali ngokuthi “ngamava angxwelerhayo.”
Ukulungelelana
Ngaloo ndlela icebiso likaSolomon lisafanelekile njengokuba lalinjalo kwiinkulungwane ezadlulayo: “Musa ukuzidinisa ngokufuna ubutyebi; yeka okwakho ukuqonda. Amehlo akho uya kuwasukelisa ubutyebi na, bungekho nje? Kuba bona buzenzela amaphiko, buphaphazela njengexhalanga elisinge ezulwini.” (IMizekeliso 23:4, 5) Ubutyebi bezinto eziphathekayo bobokwexeshana, ngoko bubuyatha ukwenza usukelo lwemali eyona njongo iphambili ebomini. UmKristu oselula ogama linguMaureen uthi: “Andifuni kuzixakekisa ngokusukela ubutyebi.” Uthi: “Ndiyazi ukuba ndiya kwenzakala ngokomoya ukuba ndibanjiswa kukufuna ukwenza imali.”
Liyinyaniso elokuba, imali iyimfuneko. Yaye ukuba nengeniso eyaneleyo kuya kukuvumela ukuba unyamekele iimfuno zakho—yaye maxa wambi ukwazi ukunceda nabanye. (Efese 4:28) Funda ukuzibhokoxa ukuze ukwazi ukuzuza imali ngokunyanisekileyo. Kwakhona, funda indlela yokuyigcina, uqingqo-mali nokuyisebenzisa, yaye sebenzisa imali yakho ngobulumko. Kodwa musa ukwenza imali eyona nto ibalulekileyo ebomini. Zama ukuba nembono elungeleleneyo eyavakaliswa ngumbhali weMizekeliso 30:8, owathandaza wathi: “Musa ukundinika ubuhlwempu nobutyebi.” Ngokubeka izinto zokomoya kuqala, uya kukwazi ukufumana obona butyebi bububo. Njengokuba IMizekeliso 10:22 isitsho, “intsikelelo kaYehova, yiyo etyebisayo, imbulaleko ayongezi nento kuyo.”
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 29]
Ulutsha oluninzi lufuna imali ukuze lukwazi ukuphila ubomi obufana noboontanga balo