Ngaba Ubomi Bakho Bulawulwa Lilishwa?
“ALA NÒ DON.” Ngolwimi lwesiBambara lwaseMali, eNtshona Afrika, eli binzana lithetha ukuthi, “Ngumsebenzi kaThixo.” Intetho enjengale ixhaphake gqitha kulo mmandla wehlabathi. Ngolwimi lwesiWolof, kudla ngokuthiwa, “Yallah mo ko def” (NguThixo okwenzileyo). Ibe ngolunye ulwimi lwamaDogon, bathi, “Ama biray” (NguThixo okubangeleyo).
Akho namanye amabinzana afana nawo kwamanye amazwe. Intetho enjengethi, “Bekufike ixesha lakhe” nethi “Ibikukuthanda kukaThixo” idla ngokuthethwa xa kukho ofileyo okanye kuhle intlekele. ENtshona Afrika, amazwi anjengala athi “Umntu uyaceba, uThixo atshabalalise” ngokuqhelekileyo abhalwa kwizithuthi zikawonke-wonke aze axhonywe ezivenkileni njengemiqondiso. Kwabaninzi azizigaba eziqhelekileyo zentetho. Noko ke, ngokufuthi abonisa ukukholelwa ngokunzulu kwilishwa.
Eneneni liyintoni ilishwa? IThe World Book Encyclopedia ilichaza ngokuthi “yinkolelo yokuba iziganeko zimiselwa ngamandla athile angenakulawulwa ngabantu.” Ayintoni loo “mandla”? Kumawaka eminyaka eyadlulayo, abantu baseBhabhiloni babekholelwa kwelokuba ilishwa lomntu lalilawulwa kakhulu yindlela ezimi ngayo iinkwenkwezi xa ezalwa. (Thelekisa uIsaya 47:13.) AmaGrike ayekholelwa kwelokuba ilishwa lalilawulwa ngoothixokazi abathathu abanamandla ababephotha umsonto wobomi, bawulinganise, baze bawuqhawule. Noko ke, yayingabefundisi beNgqobhoko abeza nengcamango yokuba nguThixo omisela ilishwa lomntu!
Ngokomzekelo, “iNgcwele” uAugustine yazikhaba ngaw’ omane “iimbono ezibubuxoki nezilahlekisayo” zezazi ngeenkwenkwezi. Kwelinye icala, yayimi ngelithi “ukukholelwa ukuba uThixo ukho, uze kwangaxeshanye uphikise ukuba uzazi kusengaphambili izinto zexesha elizayo, bobona budenge bucacileyo.” Wathi ukuba uThixo unamandla ngokwenene, umele “azazi zonke izinto ngaphambi kokuba zenzeke” kungabikho “nanye into angayimiseli kusengaphambili.” Sekunjalo, uAugustine enomsindo wema ngelithi phezu kwako nje ukwazi kukaThixo kusengaphambili zonke izinto ezenzekayo, abantu basaqhubeka besenza ukuthanda kwabo.—The City of God, iNcwadi V, iSahluko 7-9.
Kwiinkulungwane kamva, umfundisi wezakwalizwi ongumProtestanti uJohn Calvin wahlabela mgama nalo mbandela, ephikisa ngelithi ngoxa abanye “bemiselwa kwangaphambili [nguThixo] ukuba babe ngabantwana neendlalifa zobukumkani basezulwini,” abanye bamiselwa kwangaphambili ukuba “bamkele ingqumbo yakhe”!
Namhlanje, ukukholelwa kwilishwa kugqalwa njengombandela onzulu kwimimandla emininzi yehlabathi. Khawucinge ngamava kaOusmane, umfana waseNtshona Afrika. Wayengomnye wabafundi ababekrelekrele esikolweni sakhe, kodwa xa wabhala iimviwo zakhe zokugqibela, akazange aziphumelele! Oku akuzange kumenze achithe omnye unyaka esikolweni nje kuphela kodwa kwakhokelela ekuphoxekeni kwintsapho nakubahlobo bakhe. Omnye umhlobo wakhe wazama ukumthuthuzela ngokumxelela ukuba oko yayikukuthanda kukaThixo. Umama kaOusmane naye wathi yayililishwa elalimbangele angaphumeleli.
Ekuqaleni uOusmane wakuvuyela ukwamkela imigudu yabo yokubonakalisa uvelwano. Ngapha koko, ukuba ukungaphumeleli kwakhe yayikukuthanda kukaThixo, kwakungekho nto wayenokuyenza ukuze akuthintele. Kodwa uyise wayewujonga ngolunye uhlobo lo mba. Waxelela uOusmane ukuba ukungaphumeleli kwakhe iimviwo kwakulityala lakhe—kungekhona elikaThixo. UOusmane wayengaphumelelanga ngenxa yokuba wayengazifundi iincwadi zakhe.
Ekubeni ukukholelwa kwakhe kwilishwa kwakugungqisiwe, uOusmane wagqiba kwelokuba aziphandele ngokwakhe ngalo mbandela. Siyakumema nawe ukuba wenjenjalo ngokuqwalasela inqaku elilandelayo.