ENYE indoda yaseNew York (U.S.A.) iyabalisa: “Unyana wam uJonathan wayetyelele abahlobo bakhe kumgama omalunga neemayile [neekhilomitha] ezimbalwa. Umfazi wam, uValentina, wayengathandi ukuba aye apho. Wayesoloko enexhala ngenxa yeenqwelo-mafutha ezininzi endleleni. Kodwa unyana wam wayebuthanda gqitha ubuchule bombane [electronics], ibe abahlobo bakhe babenendawo yokusebenzela awayenokufumana amava ngokusebenza kuyo. Ndandihleli endlwini kwintshona Manhattan, eNew York. Umfazi wam wayengekho etyelele intsapho yakowabo ePuerto Rico. ‘UJonathan uza kukhawuleza abuye,’ ndandicinga njalo. Kusenjalo kwankqonkqozwa emnyango. ‘Nakanjani nguye lowo.’ Yayingenguye. Yayingamapolisa nabonyango longxamiseko. Ipolisa labuza: ‘Uyalazi eli phepha-mvume lokuqhuba?’ ‘Ewe, lelonyana wam, lelikaJonathan.’ ‘Sikuphathele iindaba ezimbi. Bekukho ingozi, yaye . . . unyana wakho, . . . unyana wakho ufile.’ Indlela yokuqala endasabela ngayo yaba kukuthi, ‘Akunakwenzeka oko!’ Eso sithonga savula inxeba ezintliziyweni zethu elingekapholi ngokupheleleyo unangoku, nangona sekudlule iminyaka eliqela.”

 Omnye ubawo waseBarcelona (eSpeyin) uyabhala: “Emva phayaa ngeminyaka yee-1960 eSpeyin, sasiyintsapho eyonwabileyo. Kwakukho uMaría, umfazi wam, nabantwana bethu abathathu, uDavid, uPaquito noIsabel, ababeneminyaka eli-13, 11, nesi-9 ngokulandelelana kwabo.

“Ngaminazana ithile ngoMatshi 1963, uPaquito wabuya esikolweni ekhala ngentloko ebuhlungu gqitha. Saphatha siyeka sifuna unobangela—kodwa oku akuzange kuthabathe thuba lide. Emva kweeyure ezintathu wayesele efile. Ukopha ebuchotsheni kwakubunqamle ubomi bakhe.

“Sele kudlule iminyaka engama-30 wafayo uPaquito. Sekunjalo, intlungu engathethekiyo yokulahlekelwa nguye ayikapheli unanamhla. Abazali abanakuze balahlekelwe ngumntwana baze bangavakalelwa kukuba balahlekelwe yinto ethile ebizwa ngabo—kungakhathaliseki ukuba kudlula ixesha elingakanani okanye baninzi kangakanani na abanye abantwana abasenokuba nabo.”

 La mava eentsapho ezimbini, apho abazali balahlekelwa ngabantwana, abonisa indlela elinokuba nzulu lize lingapheli ngayo inxeba elibangelwa kukufelwa ngumntwana. Hayi indlela ayinyaniso ngayo amazwi ogqirha owabhala wathi: “Ngokuqhelekileyo ukufa komntwana kubangela usizi yaye kubuhlungu ngaphezu kokufa komntu omdala ngenxa yokuba umntwana ngoyena mntu kungalindelwanga ukuba afe entsatsheni. . . . Ukufa kwakhe nawuphi na umntwana kuthetha ukuba amaphupha ekamva, ulwalamano [nonyana, umolokazana, abazukulwana], namava . . . ebengekananditshwa aphelele emoyeni.” Yaye le mvakalelo yokulahlekelwa ngokunzulu inokubakho kuye nawuphi na umfazi olahlekelwe lusana ngenxa yokuphuma kwesisu.

Omnye umfazi ofelweyo uyacacisa: “Umyeni wam, uRussell, wayesebenza kwezonyango kummandla wePasifiki ebudeni beMfazwe Yehlabathi II. Wayebone waza wasinda kumadabi amaninzi amanyumnyezi. Wabuyela eUnited States waza waphila ubomi obuzolileyo. Kamva waba ngumlungiseleli weLizwi likaThixo. Xa wayesekuqaleni kwiminyaka yakhe yama-60 waqalisa ukubonisa iimpawu zokukhathazwa yintliziyo. Wazama ukuphila ubomi obuxakekileyo. Kwandula ke, ngaminazana ithile ngoJulayi 1988, wahlaselwa yintliziyo ngamandla waza wafa. Ukulahlekelwa nguye kwakubuhlungu gqitha. Andizange ndikwazi nokumbulisa. Wayengengomyeni wam nje kuphela. Wayengoyena mhlobo wam usenyongweni. Sasiphile iminyaka engama-40 kunye. Ngoku kwakubonakala ngathi ndandiza kuba lilolo ngokwenene.”

Ezi zezimbalwa nje kumawaka eentlekele ezithwaxa iintsapho emhlabeni wonke umhla nezolo. Njengokuba inkoliso yabantu abasentlungwini iya kukuxelela, xa ukufa kusuba ubomi bomntwana wakho, umyeni wakho, umfazi wakho, umzali wakho, umhlobo wakho, ngokwenene kunjengokuba umbhali ongumKristu uPawulos wakubizayo, ‘lutshaba lokugqibela.’ Ngokufuthi indlela yokuqala yokwemvelo yokusabela kwezi ndaba zimbi isenokuba kukungakwamkeli okwenzekileyo, “Akunakwenzeka oko! Andikukholelwa.” Ngokufuthi kuye kulandele nezinye iindlela zokusabela, njengokuba siza kubona.—1 Korinte 15:25, 26.

Noko ke, ngaphambi kokuba siqwalasele iimvakalelo zokuba buhlungu, makhe siphendule imibuzo ethile ebalulekileyo. Ngaba ukufa kuthetha isiphelo saloo mntu? Ngaba likho ithemba lokuba sinokuphinda sibabone abantu esibathandayo abafileyo?

Umbhali weBhayibhile uPawulos wanikela ithemba lokukhululeka kolo ‘tshaba lokugqibela,’ ukufa. Wabhala: “Ukufa kuza kupheliswa.” (NW) “Olokugqibela utshaba oluya kubhangiswa kukufa.” (1 Korinte 15:26) Kutheni uPawulos wayeqiniseke kangako ngoko? Kungenxa yokuba wayefundiswe ngulowo wayevuswe ekufeni, uYesu Kristu. (IZenzo 9:3-19) Kukwangenxa yoko uPawulos wayenokubhala athi: “Ekubeni kaloku kungomntu [uAdam] ukufa, kukwangomntu [uYesu Kristu] ukuvuka kwabafileyo. Kuba, njengokuba kuye uAdam bafa bonke, ngokunjalo nakuye uKristu baya kudliswa ubomi bonke.”​—1 Korinte 15:21, 22.

UYesu waba buhlungu gqitha xa wadibana nomhlolokazi waseNayin waza wabona unyana wakhe ofileyo. Ingxelo yeBhayibhile isixelela oku: “[UYesu] akusondela esangweni lomzi lowo [waseNayin], kwabonakala kuthwalelwa phandle umntu ofileyo, ekuphela konyana ozalwa ngunina; waye yena engumhlolokazi. Yaye nendimbane elingeneyo yomzi inaye. Ithe ke iNkosi yakumbona, yasikwa yimfesane ngenxa yakhe, yathi kuye, Musa  ukulila. Yafika ke yalichukumisa ithala, bema ke ababethwele. Yathi, Ndodana, ndithi kuwe, Vuka. Wavuka wahlala umfi lowo, waza ke wathetha. Yamnikela ke kunina. Bangenwa ke kukoyika bonke. Babemzukisa uThixo, besithi, Kuvele umprofeti omkhulu phakathi kwethu; besithi, Ubavelele uThixo abantu bakhe.” Khawuphawule indlela uYesu awasikwa yimfesane ngayo, ukuze avuse unyana womhlolokazi! Khawufan’ ucinge ngoko kuthethwa koko ngekamva!​—Luka 7:12-16.

Apho, phambi kwababukeli, uYesu wavusa umntu ngendlela engalibalekiyo. Oko kwakuyimbonakaliso yovuko awayesele eluxele kwangaphambi kwesi siganeko, ukubuyiselwa ebomini emhlabeni ngaphantsi ‘kwelitsha izulu.’ Ngeso sihlandlo uYesu wayethe: “Musani ukumangaliswa kuko oko; ngokuba kuza ilixa abaya kuthi ngalo bonke abasemangcwabeni [enkumbulo, NW] balive ilizwi lakhe; baphume ke.”​—ISityhilelo 21:1, 3, 4; Yohane 5:28, 29; 2 Petros 3:13.

Abanye abantu abazibonela ngawabo uvuko baquka uPetros, kunye nabanye babali-12 ababehamba noYesu xa wayekhenketha. Bade bamva uYesu ovusiweyo ethetha ngakuLwandle lwaseGalili. Le ngxelo isixelela oku: “Athi uYesu kubo, Yizani nomule. Akubangakho namnye ke kubafundi waba nabuganga bakumbuza esithi, Ungubani na? besazi nje ukuba yiyo iNkosi. Uza ke uYesu, asithabathe isonka, abanike, ayenjenjalo nentlanzi. Oku sekukokwesithathu ezibonakalalisa uYesu kubafundi bakhe, evukile kwabafileyo.”​—Yohane 21:12-14.

Ngoko ke, eqiniseke ngokupheleleyo uPetros wayenokubhala athi: “Makabongwe uThixo, uYise weNkosi yethu uYesu Kristu, othe ngokobuninzi benceba yakhe, wasizala ngokutsha, ukuba sibe nethemba eliphilileyo ngokuvuka kukaYesu Kristu kwabafileyo.”​—1 Petros 1:3.

Umpostile uPawulos wavakalisa ithemba awayeqinisekile ngalo xa wathi: “Ndikholwa zizinto zonke ezibhaliweyo emthethweni nasebaprofetini; ndinethemba kuThixo, into ke abayilindileyo nabo ngokwabo, ukuba kuza kubakho uvuko lwabafileyo, lwamalungisa kwanolwabangemalungisa.”​—IZenzo 24:14, 15.

Ngoko ke izigidi zabantu zinokuba nethemba eliqinileyo lokubona abo zibathandayo bephila kwakhona emhlabeni kodwa ngaphantsi kweemeko ezahluke ngokwenene. Ziya kuba njani ezo meko? Iinkcukacha ezingakumbi zethemba elisekelwe eBhayibhileni ngabantu abafileyo esibathandayo ziya kuxutyushwa kwicandelo lokugqibela lale ncwadana enemifanekiso, elinomxholo othi “Ithemba Eliqinisekileyo Ngabafi.”

Kodwa kuqala makhe siqwalasele imibuzo osenokuba unayo ukuba usentlungwini yokulahlekelwa ngumntu omthandayo: Ngaba kuyinto yokwemvelo ukuba buhlungu ngale ndlela? Ndinokuhlangabezana njani nentlungu endikuyo? Banokwenza ntoni abanye ukuze bandincede ndihlangabezane nayo? Ndinokubanceda njani abanye abasentlungwini? Yaye okona kubalulekileyo, Ithini iBhayibhile ngethemba eliqinisekileyo ngabafi? Ngaba ndiya kuphinda ndibabone abantu endibathandayo? Yaye phi?