Umbono WeBhayibheli
Ingabe Abantwana Kufanele Bazikhethele Inkolo Yabo?
KUSUKELA ngesikhathi umntwana wabo ezalwa kuya ebusheni, abazali bayamkhethela izinto. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, umzali ohlakaniphile uyazi ukuthi kunini lapho kufanele avumelane nezimo khona, ecabangela ngokunokwenzeka lokho okungase kukhethwe umntwana.
Nokho, ukuthi ingakanani inkululeko yokuzikhethela okufanele inikezwe umntwana kungase kube inselele kubazali. Nakuba kuyiqiniso ukuthi abantwana bangazikhethela kahle futhi bazuze ngokuzimela ngandlela-thile, kuyiqiniso nokuthi bangenza ukukhetha okungalungile, okungabangela inhlekelele.—2 AmaKhosi 2:23-25; Efesu 6:1-3.
Ngokwesibonelo, ngokuvamile abantwana bakhetha ukudla okungenamsoco kunokudla okunomsoco. Ngani? Ngoba lapho besebancane, abakwazi ukwahlulela kahle ngokwabo. Bekungaba ukuhlakanipha yini ukuba abazali bamane bavumele abantwana babo bazenzele abakuthandayo kulendaba, benethemba lokuthi ekugcineni bayokhetha ukudla okunomsoco? Cha. Kunalokho, abazali kumelwe bakhethele abantwana babo bekhathalela inhlalakahle yabo ehlala njalo.
Ngakho-ke, kungokufanelekile ukuba abazali bakhethele abantwana babo ngokuqondene nokudla, izingubo zokugqoka, ukuzilungisa nokuziphatha okuhle. Kodwa kuthiwani ngenkolo? Ingabe kufanele kukhethe abazali nakulokho?
Ukukhetha
Abanye bangaphikisa ngokuthi abazali akufanele baphoqelele izinkolelo zabo ezingokwenkolo kubantwana babo. Eqinisweni, eminyakeni engaphezu kwengu-160 edlule, abanye ababethi banezinkolelo zobuKristu bathuthukisa umqondo wokuthi “abantwana akufanele bafundiswe inkolo funa imiqondo yabo ibandlulule izivumo zokholo ezithile, kodwa kufanele bayekwe kuze kube yilapho sebekwazi ukukhetha, futhi bakhethe inkolo ethile.”
Nokho, lombono awuvumelani nombono weBhayibheli. IBhayibheli ligcizelela ukubaluleka kokufaka izinkolelo ezingokwenkolo kubantwana kusukela ekuzalweni kwabo. IzAga 22:6 zithi: “Khulisa umntwana ngendlela eyakuba-ngeyakhe; kuyakuthi lapho esekhulile, angasuki kuyo.”
Igama lesiHeberu elihunyushwe ngokuthi “umntwana” lihlanganisa ubudala kusukela ebusaneni kuya ebusheni. Ngokuqondene nokubaluleka kokufundiswa kusukela ebuntwaneni, uDkt. Joseph M. Hunt, wase-University of Illinois, e-U.S.A., wathi: “Kuphakathi neminyaka yokuqala emine noma emihlanu yokuphila lapho ukukhula komntwana kushesha khona futhi kungashintsheka kakhulu khona. . . . Mhlawumbe amaphesenti angu-20 amakhono [akhe] ayisisekelo akheka ngaphambi kokuphela konyaka wokuqala ezelwe, mhlawumbe ingxenye yawo ngaphambi kokuba afinyelele eminyakeni emine.” Lokhu kumane kugcizelela iseluleko esiphefumulelwe seBhayibheli sokuthi kubalulekile ukuba abazali banikeze isiqondiso esihlakaniphile umntwana esemncane, bamqeqeshe ngezindlela zikaNkulunkulu.—Duteronomi 11:18-21.
Ngokusobala, imiBhalo iyala abazali abesaba uNkulunkulu ukuba bafake uthando ngoJehova kubantwana babo. UDuteronomi 6:5-7 uthi: “Wothanda uJehova uNkulunkulu wakho ngayo yonke inhliziyo yakho, nangawo wonke umphefumulo wakho, nangawo onke amandla akho. Lawamazwi engikuyala ngawo namuhla ayakuba-senhliziyweni yakho, ubafundise impela wona abantwana bakho, uwakhulume lapho uhlezi endlini yakho, nalapho uhamba endleleni, nalapho ulala, nalapho uvuka.” (Omalukeke sizenzele.) Isenzo sesiHeberu esihunyushwe ngokuthi ‘fundisa’ sinomqondo wokulola ithuluzi, njengasemlalazini. Lokhu akunakwenziwa kanye kodwa kumelwe kwenziwe ngenkuthalo, ngokuphindaphindiwe. I-New English Bible ihumusha lesi senzo sesiHeberu ngokuthi “phinda.” Ngokusobala, ‘ukufundisa’ kuveza umqondo wokugxilisa engqondweni.—Qhathanisa nezAga 27:17.
Ngakho, abazali abangamaKristu eqiniso kufanele basithathe ngokungathi sína isibopho sabo sokugxilisa izinkolelo zabo ezingokwenkolo kubantwana babo. Ngeke bawuyekelele ngokufanele lomthwalo wemfanelo ngokuvumela abantwana babo bazikhethele. Lokhu kuyohlanganisa nokuya ‘nabantwana’ babo emihlanganweni. Lapho, abazali bangahlala eduze kwabo futhi babasize ukuba bazise izinzuzo ezingokomoya ezitholwa umkhaya onobunye ngokugxilisa ingqondo ezingxoxweni ezingokomBhalo nokuhlanganyela kuzo.—Duteronomi 31:12, 13; Isaya 48:17-19; 2 Thimothewu 1:5; 3:15.
Umthwalo Wemfanelo Womzali
Ukumane utshele umntwana ukuthi akadle into ethile ngoba inomsoco akusho ukuthi umntwana uzoyithanda. Ngakho, umama ohlakaniphile uyayazi indlela yokwenza lokhu kudla okwakhayo kube okunambitheka ngangokunokwenzeka ukuze kukhange umntwana. Eqinisweni, upheka ukudla ngendlela yokuthi kuvumelane namandla omntwana okukudla.
Ngokufanayo, ekuqaleni umntwana angase angakuthandi ukuqeqeshwa okungokwenkolo, futhi umzali angase athole ukuthi ukuzama ukubonisana naye ngalendaba akusebenzi. Nokho, isiqondiso seBhayibheli sicacile—abazali kumelwe benze okusemandleni abo ukuze baqeqeshe abantwana babo kusukela beseyizinsana. Ngakho-ke, abazali abahlakaniphile benza ukuqeqeshwa okungokwenkolo kukhange ngokukunikeza ngendlela ekhanga umntwana, becabangela ikhono lakhe lokukubamba.
Abazali abanothando banomuzwa onamandla wesibopho sokunikeza abantwana babo izinto ezidingekayo ekuphileni, futhi ezimweni eziningi akekho umuntu owazi izidingo zomntwana kangcono kunabazali bakhe. Ngokuvumelana nalokhu, iBhayibheli libeka isibopho esiyinhloko sokondla ngokomzimba kanye nangokomoya emahlombe abazali—ikakhulukazi ubaba. (Efesu 6:4) Ngakho, abazali akufanele badebeselele umthwalo wabo wemfanelo ngokufuna ukudlulisela lesi sibopho komunye umuntu. Nakuba bengase balujabulele usizo olunikezwayo, lolo sizo luyonezela emfundweni engokwenkolo yabazali, hhayi ukuba luthathe isikhundla sayo.—1 Thimothewu 5:8.
Esikhathini esithile ekuphileni, umuntu ngamunye uyanquma ukuthi yiziphi izinkolelo ezingokwenkolo azozilandela, uma zikhona. Uma abazali abangamaKristu bethatha umthwalo wabo wemfanelo wokunikeza abantwana babo imfundo engokwenkolo kusukela ebuntwaneni futhi besebenzisa lesi sikhathi bebafundisa ukuba bacabange ngesisekelo sezimiso ezinhle, ukukhetha abantwana abayokwenza kamuva ekuphileni ngokunokwenzeka kuyoba okulungile.—2 IziKronike 34:1, 2; IzAga 2:1-9.
[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 26]
The Doré Bible Illustrations/Dover Publications, Inc.