Kungani Kufanele Ugcine Isikhathi?

AKULULA njalo ukugcina isikhathi. Ezinye zezithiyo okungase kudingeke sizinqobe ziwukuhamba amabanga amade, isiminyaminya sezimoto emigwaqweni nokuba matasa kakhulu. Noma kunjalo, ukugcina isikhathi kubalulekile. Ngokwesibonelo, emsebenzini umuntu ogcina isikhathi ubhekwa njengomuntu onokwethenjelwa futhi okhuthele. Kanti umuntu ofika sekwephuzile angaphazamisa umsebenzi wabanye nezinga lomkhiqizo nezinkonzo ezinikezwayo. Ukungagcini isikhathi kungabangela umfundi ukuba aphuthelwe izifundo ezithile bese kuphazamisa intuthuko yakhe esikoleni. Ukungagcini isikhathi sikadokotela wezokwelapha noma wamazinyo kungaba nomthelela endleleni umuntu elashwa ngayo.

Nokho, kwezinye izindawo ukugcina isikhathi akubhekwa njengokubaluleke kangako. Ezindaweni ezinjalo singagcina sesinalowo mkhuba. Uma kunjalo, kubalulekile ukuba sihlakulele isifiso sokugcina isikhathi. Ukuqonda ukubaluleka kokugcina isikhathi kuyosisiza ngempela ukuba sisigcine. Iziphi ezinye zezizathu zokuba sigcine isikhathi? Singabhekana kanjani nenselele yokugcina isikhathi? Iziphi izinzuzo esingazithola ngokugcina isikhathi?

UJehova UnguNkulunkulu Ogcina Isikhathi

Isizathu esibaluleke kakhulu sokugcina isikhathi siwukuthi sifuna ukulingisa uNkulunkulu esimkhulekelayo. (Efe. 5:1) UJehova uyisibonelo esizedlula zonke sokugcina isikhathi. Akalokothi ephuze. Unamathela ngokucophelela esikhathini asimisile sokufeza izinjongo zakhe. Ngokwesibonelo, lapho enquma ukubhubhisa izwe labantu abangamhloniphi ngozamcolo, wathi kuNowa: “Zenzele umkhumbi ngokhuni lomuthi okhipha inhlaka.” Njengoba leso sikhathi sesiphelo sisondela, watshela uNowa ukuba angene emkhunjini wabe esethi: “Kusele izinsuku eziyisikhombisa nje kuphela nginise imvula phezu komhlaba izinsuku ezingamashumi amane nobusuku obungamashumi amane; futhi ngizoyiqeda nyá yonke into ekhona engiyenzile ebusweni bomhlaba.” Nembala, “ezinsukwini eziyisikhombisa kamuva amanzi kazamcolo afika phezu komhlaba.” (Gen. 6:14; 7:4, 10) Ake ucabange ukuthi yini eyayingase yenzeke kuNowa nomkhaya wakhe ukube babengangenanga emkhunjini ngesikhathi. Kwakumelwe bagcine isikhathi njengoNkulunkulu ababemkhulekela.

Eminyakeni engaba ngu-450 ngemva kukaZamcolo, uJehova watshela inzalamizi u-Abrahama ukuthi yayiyozoba nendodana okwakuyovela kuyo iNzalo ethenjisiwe. (Gen. 17:15-17) UNkulunkulu wathi u-Isaka wayeyozalwa “ngalesi sikhathi esimisiwe ngonyaka ozayo.” (Gen. 17:21) Ingabe kwaba njalo? ImiBhalo iyasitshela: “USara wakhulelwa wazalela u-Abrahama indodana ekugugeni kwakhe ngesikhathi esimisiwe uNkulunkulu ayekhulume ngaso kuye.”—Gen. 17:21; 21:2.

IBhayibheli ligcwele izibonelo ezibonisa ukuthi uNkulunkulu uyasigcina isikhathi. (Jer. 25:11-13; Dan. 4:20-25; 9:25) Lisitshela ukuba sihlale silulindele usuku lukaJehova lokwahlulela oluzayo. Ngisho noma lungase lubonakale sengathi ‘luyalibala’ ngokubona kwabantu, siqinisekiswa ngokuthi ‘ngeke lwephuze.’—Hab. 2:3.

Ukugcina Isikhathi Kubalulekile Ekukhulekeleni

Wonke amadoda angama-Israyeli kwakufanele abe khona futhi afike ngesikhathi endaweni eyayibekelwe “imikhosi kaJehova yezinkathi ezithile.” (Lev. 23:2, 4) UNkulunkulu wabeka nezikhathi imihlatshelo ethile okwakumelwe inikelwe ngazo. (Eks. 29:38, 39; Lev. 23:37, 38) Lokhu akubonisi yini ukuthi uNkulunkulu ufuna izinceku zakhe zigcine isikhathi ekukhulekeleni kwazo?

Ekhulwini lokuqala lapho umphostoli uPawulu enikeza abaseKorinte iziyalezo zendlela imihlangano yobuKristu okufanele iqhutshwe ngayo, wabanxusa: “Zonke izinto mazenzeke ngokufaneleyo nangohlelo.” (1 Kor. 14:40) Ngakho, imibuthano yamaKristu yokukhulekela kwakufanele iqale ngesikhathi esimisiwe. Umbono kaJehova ngokugcina isikhathi awukashintshi. (Mal. 3:6) Ngakho-ke, iziphi izinyathelo esingazithatha ukuze sifike ngesikhathi kule mibuthano yobuKristu?

Ukubhekana Nenselele Yokugcina Isikhathi

Abanye baye bathola ukuthi ukuhlela kusengaphambili kusiza kakhulu. (IzAga 21:5) Ngokwesibonelo, uma kudingeka sihambe ibanga elithile ukuze sifike endaweni ethile ngesikhathi esimisiwe, kungaba yini ukuhlakanipha ukuba sizibekele isikhathi esizokwenza ukuba sifike nje sekusele kancane isikhathi sishaye? Kungebe yini ukuhlakanipha ukuba sizinikeze imizuzu ethe xaxa ukuze singafiki sekwephuzile, ngisho noma kungavela ‘isenzakalo esingalindelekile’ endleleni? (UmSh. 9:11) UJosé, insizwa egcina isikhathi, uthi: “Into engasiza noma ubani ukuba afike ngesikhathi, ukwazi kahle ukuthi kuthatha isikhathi esingakanani ukufika kuleyo ndawo.”a

Abanye kungase kudingeke bahlele ukusheshe bashayise emsebenzini ukuze bafike emihlanganweni yobuKristu ngesikhathi. Yilokho kanye okwenziwa omunye uFakazi waseTopiya lapho ebona ukuthi wayezofika sekwephuze ngemizuzu engu-45 emihlanganweni yebandla ngenxa yokushintsha kwamashifu. Wacela umuntu asebenza naye ukuba ngobusuku bemihlangano asheshe afike emsebenzini ukuze amkhulule. Lo Fakazi wayemkhokhela ngokumsebenzela enye ishifu yamahora angu-7.

Ukufika ngesikhathi emihlanganweni kuba yinselele ikakhulu uma sinezingane ezincane. Ngokuvamile, ukulungisa izingane kuba umthwalo kamama, kodwa namanye amalungu omkhaya angakwazi futhi kufanele asize. Umama waseMexico ogama lakhe lingu-Esperanza wanakekela izingane ezingu-8 yedwa. Iminyaka yazo manje isukela kwemihlanu kuya kwengu-23. Uchaza lokho umkhaya wakhe okwenzayo ukuze ugcine isikhathi: “Amadodakazi amadala asiza ekulungiseni laba abancane. Lokhu kunginikeza isikhathi sokuba ngiqedele imisebenzi yami yasendlini futhi nami ngilunge ukuze ngibambe isikhathi esisibekile sokuya emihlanganweni.” Lo mkhaya ubeke isikhathi sokuphuma endlini futhi bonke bayabambisana ukuze basigcine.

Izinzuzo Zokufika Ngesikhathi Emihlanganweni Yethu

Ukucabanga ngezibusiso esizithola ngokufika ngesikhathi emihlanganweni yobuKristu kungaqinisa isifiso sethu sokwenza konke esingakwenza ukuze sigcine isikhathi. Intokazi okuthiwa uSandra, esihlakulele umkhuba wokufika ngesikhathi emihlanganweni, ithi: “Engikuthandayo ngokufika ngesikhathi emihlanganweni ukuthi ngiba nesikhathi sokubingelela abafowethu nodade, ngixoxe nabo, okwenza ngibazi kangcono.” Lapho sisheshe sifike eHholo LoMbuso, singazuza ngokuzwa ngokukhuthazela nokholo lwabanye abakhona. Singaba yithonya elihle kubafowethu nodade ngokuba khona emihlanganweni nangezingxoxo ezakhayo, ‘sibavuselele othandweni nasemisebenzini emihle.’—Heb. 10:24, 25.

Ingoma nomthandazo okuvulwa ngako umhlangano ngamunye wobuKristu kuyingxenye ebalulekile ekukhulekeleni kwethu. (IHu. 149:1) Izingoma zethu zidumisa uJehova, zisikhumbuza ngezimfanelo okufanele sizihlakulele futhi zisikhuthaze ukuba sihlanganyele ngenjabulo enkonzweni. Kuthiwani ngomthandazo wokuvula? Mandulo, uJehova wayebiza ithempeli ngokuthi ‘indlu yakhe yomthandazo.’ (Isaya 56:7) Namuhla, siyabuthana emihlanganweni yethu ukuze sithandaze kuNkulunkulu. Umthandazo wokuvula awuceli isiqondiso sikaJehova nomoya wakhe ongcwele kuphela kodwa futhi ulungisa izingqondo nezinhliziyo zethu ukuba zamukele ukwaziswa okuzoxoxwa ngakho. Kufanele sizimisele ukuba sifike emihlanganweni ngesikhathi ukuze sihlanganyele engomeni nasemthandazweni wokuvula.

Lapho ekhuluma ngesizathu sakhe sokufika ngesikhathi emihlanganweni, uHelen oneminyaka engu-23, uthi: “Ngicabanga ukuthi kuyindlela engibonisa ngayo uJehova ukuthi ngiyamthanda njengoba kunguye osinikeza ukwaziswa esikuthola emihlanganweni, kuhlanganise nezingoma nomthandazo wokuvula.” Akufanele yini nathi sikubheke ngendlela efanayo? Yebo, kufanele. Ngakho-ke, masilwele ukuhlakulela umkhuba wokugcina isikhathi kukho konke esikwenzayo, ikakhulukazi kulokho okuthinta ukukhulekela kwethu uNkulunkulu weqiniso.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

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Lungiselela kahle kusengaphambili

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Shiya isikhathi ‘sesenzakalo esingalindelekile’

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Thola izinzuzo zokusheshe ufike emihlanganweni