NGABA ukhona umsebenzi onqwenela ukuwenza ebandleni, kodwa ongenakukwazi ukuwenza ngoku? Mhlawumbi loo msebenzi wenziwa ngomnye umntu. Okanye isenokuba ngumsebenzi owawukade uwenza ebandleni okanye kwintlangano. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba awusakwazi ukuwenza ngoku lo msebenzi ngenxa yokukhula, ukugula, iingxaki zemali okanye ezentsapho. Okanye kuye kwanyanzeleka ukuba uyeke umsebenzi ekudala uwenza ngenxa yokutshintsha kwezinto kule ntlangano. Enoba yintoni ebangela ungawenzi umsebenzi obukade uwenza, usenokubona ngathi awumsebenzeli ngendlela ofuna ngayo uThixo. Xa kunjalo, usenokuphoxeka kakhulu ibe iyaqondakala loo nto. Ngoko, yintoni enokukunceda uyeke ukutyhafa nokucaphuka? Unokwenza njani ukuze uhlale uvuya?

Ininzi into esingayifunda kuYohane umBhaptizi engasinceda sihlale sivuya. Mininzi imisebenzi awayenzela uThixo, kodwa kwenzeka into awayengayilindelanga ebomini bakhe. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba zange wayicinga nokuyicinga into yokuba uza kuhlala ixesha elide ejele kuneli wayeshumayela ngalo. Kodwa uYohane zange ayeke ukonwaba de wasweleka. Wancedwa yintoni? Yintoni engasinceda sihlale sonwabile enoba kwenzeka izinto ezisityhafisayo?

UYohane waqalisa umsebenzi wakhe wokuxelela abantu ngokuza kukaMesiya ngentwasahlobo yango-29 C.E. Wayesithi ebantwini: “Guqukani, kuba ubukumkani bamazulu busondele.” (Mat. 3:2; Luka 1:12-17) Abantu abaninzi bammamela. Ngapha koko, abanye babesuka kwiindawo ezikude ukuze bazommamela, ibe abaninzi baguquka baza babhaptizwa. UYohane wayenesibindi kuba waxelela iinkokheli zonqulo ezazizenza amalungisa ukuba, ukuba aziguquki ziza kugwetywa. (Mat. 3:5-12) Owona msebenzi ubalulekileyo awawenzayo uYohane kukubhaptiza uYesu. Le nto wayenza ngokwindla ka-29 C.E. Ukususela ngoko, wathi nabanye abantu mabalandele uYesu, owayenguMesiya othenjisiweyo.​—Yoh. 1:32-37.

UYesu wathi xa wayethetha ngoYohane: “Phakathi kwabo bazelwe ngabafazi akuveliswanga omkhulu kunoYohane umBhaptizi.” (Mat. 11:11) Siqinisekile ukuba zazimvuyisa  uYohane iintsikelelo awazifumanayo. Nanamhlanje, baninzi abantu abaye basikelelwa njengoYohane. Makhe senze umzekelo ngomnye umzalwana ekuthiwa nguTerry. Yena nenkosikazi yakhe bebekwinkonzo yexesha elizeleyo kangangeminyaka engaphezu kweyi-50. UTerry uthi: “Ndenze imisebenzi emininzi neyonwabisayo kule ntlangano. Ndakha ndanguvulindlela, ndaseBheteli, ndanguvulindlela okhethekileyo, ndangumveleli wesiphaluka nowesithili, ibe ngoku ndiphinde ndanguvulindlela okhethekileyo.” Kumnandi nyhani ukusebenzela uYehova, kodwa kufuneka sisebenze nzima ukuze sihlale sonwabile. Ibali likaYohane liza kusibonisa ukuba singenza njani ukuze sihlale sonwabile naxa iimeko zethu zitshintsha.

Eyona nto yanceda uYohane umBhaptizi ahlale onwabile kukusoloko eyixabisa imisebenzi awayeyenza. Nanku umzekelo. Emva kokubhaptizwa kukaYesu, abantu abaninzi bayeka ukulandela uYohane baza balandela uYesu. Loo nto yabakhathaza abalandeli bakaYohane baza bathi kuye: “Yabona, uyabhaptiza yaye bonke baya kuye.” (Yoh. 3:26) UYohane wabaphendula wathi: “Lowo unomtshakazi ngumyeni. Noko ke, umhlobo womyeni, xa emile aze amve, uba novuyo olukhulu ngenxa yelizwi lomyeni. Ngoko ke olu vuyo lwam luzalisiwe.” (Yoh. 3:29) UYohane akazange akhuphisane noYesu, ibe akazange acinge nokuba umsebenzi wakhe awubalulekanga nganto kuba okaYesu wawubaluleke kakhulu kunowakhe. Endaweni yoko, uYohane wahlala evuya ngenxa yokuba wayekuxabisa ukuba ‘ngumhlobo womyeni.’

Indlela uYohane awayecinga ngayo yamnceda wahlala onwabile nangona umsebenzi wakhe wawungekho lula. Ngokomzekelo, uYohane wazalwa engumNaziri ibe ngenxa yaloo nto wayengamele asele wayini. (Luka 1:15) Xa wayethetha ngendlela uYohane awayephila ngayo, uYesu wathi, “uYohane weza engadli, engaseli.” Kodwa ke, uYesu nabafundi bakhe babengengomaNaziri ibe babephila njengabanye abantu. (Mat. 11:18, 19) Kwakhona, nangona uYohane wayengayenzi imimangaliso, wayesazi ukuba abafundi bakaYesu bayakwazi ukuyenza ibe abanye babo babekade bengabafundi bakhe. (Mat. 10:1; Yoh. 10:41) Kodwa endaweni yokujonga umahluko okhoyo phakathi kwabafundi bakhe nabakaYesu, wazimisela kulo msebenzi uYehova wayemnike wona.

Ukuze sihlale sonwabile, kufuneka nathi siwuxabise umsebenzi esiwenzela uYehova ngoku. UTerry, ebekukhe kwathethwa ngaye uthi, “Ndandizimisela kumsebenzi ngamnye endiwunikiweyo.” Xa ethetha ngobomi bakhe ekwinkonzo yexesha elizeleyo uthi, “Ndikhumbula izinto ezintle zodwa ibe akukho nto ndizisola ngayo.”

Sinokuhlala sonwabile xa sicinga ngeyona nto yenza ibaluleke imisebenzi esiyenzayo kule ntlangano. “Singabasebenzi abangamadlelane kaThixo,” nantso ke eyona nto iyenza ibaluleke. (1 Kor. 3:9) Ukuze into oyixabisileyo ihlale ixesha elide, kufuneka uyiphathe kakuhle. Ngendlela efanayo, ukuze sihlale sonwabile kufuneka sisoloko sicinga ngendlela ekubaluleke ngayo ukusebenza noYehova. Asizukuzithelekisa nabanye abantu. Asizukuwujongela phantsi nomsebenzi uYehova asinike wona kuba sibona ayinike abanye.​—Gal. 6:4.

Mhlawumbi uYohane wayesazi ukuba akazukuwenza ixesha elide umsebenzi wakhe, kodwa wayengazi ukuba uza kukhawuleza uphele engalindelanga. (Yoh. 3:30) Emva nje kweenyanga ezintandathu ebhaptize uYesu, uYohane wabanjwa nguKumkani uHerode ngo-30 C.E. Kodwa uYohane waqhubeka ethetha ngendlela efanelekileyo yokwenza izinto. (Marko 6:17-20) Yintoni eyayiza kumnceda ahlale onwabile nakubeni kwakusenzeka ezi zinto? Wayezimisele ukukhonza uYehova.

Xa uYohane wayesejele, wabaliselwa ngemisebenzi emininzi eyayisenziwa nguYesu. (Mat. 11:2; Luka 7:18) UYohane wayeqinisekile ukuba uYesu unguMesiya, kodwa kusenokwenzeka ukuba wayezibuza ukuba uYesu uza kuzenza njani zonke izinto iZibhalo ezathi uMesiya uza kuzenza. Mhlawumbi wayezibuza, “IZibhalo zithi uMesiya uza kuba nguKumkani, ngaba loo nto ithetha ukuba uYesu sele eza kulawula?  Ngaba uza kundikhupha kule jele?” Kuba wayefuna ukwazi ngezinto uYesu awayeza kuzenza, wathuma abafundi bakhe ababini ukuba bambuze lo mbuzo: “UnguLowo Uzayo na okanye simele silindele omnye owahlukileyo na?” (Luka 7:19) Ukubuya kwabo, inoba uYohane wabamamela kakuhle xa bembalisela ukuba uYesu wenza imimangaliso emininzi waza wathi mabamxelele ukuba: “Iimfama ziyabona, iziqhwala ziyahamba, abaneqhenqa bayahlanjululwa nezithulu ziyeva, abafileyo bayavuswa, amahlwempu axelelwa iindaba ezilungileyo.”​—Luka 7:20-22.

Siqinisekile ukuba uYohane wakhuthazwa kakhulu zizinto awaziva ngabafundi bakhe. Zamenza waqiniseka ukuba uYesu wenza kanye ezi zinto kwakuthiwe ziza kwenziwa nguMesiya. UYohane akazange acinge ukuba umsebenzi awayewenza wawungabalulekanga, nangona uYesu engazange amkhuphe ejele. Akazange ayeke ukonwaba nangona izinto zazitshintshile.

Ukuba nathi sihlala sizimisele ekukhonzeni uYehova njengoYohane, siza kunyamezela sivuya size sibe nomonde. (Kol. 1:9-11) Sinokuyenza le nto ngokufunda iBhayibhile nangokucinga ngezinto esizifundayo, ibe loo nto iza kusinceda sikhumbule ukuba kwanto esiyenzela uYehova ibalulekile. (1 Kor. 15:58) USandra uthi: “Ukufunda isahluko seBhayibhile yonke imihla kundenze ndasondela ngakumbi kuYehova. Le nto indinceda ndingacingi ngam, kodwa ndicinge ngoYehova.” Kwakhona, iingxelo ezithetha ngezinto abazalwana noodade abazenzela uYehova zingasinceda singacingi ngeziqu zethu qha, kodwa sicinge nangomsebenzi owenziwa nguYehova. USandra uphinda athi: “Ukubukela iJW Broadcasting edlala qho ngenyanga kusinceda siyithande ngakumbi intlangano size siwonwabele nomsebenzi esiwenzela uYehova.”

Nangona uYohane engazange ashumayele ixesha elide, kodwa washumayela “enomoya namandla kaEliya,” ibe njengoEliya “wayengumntu oneemvakalelo ezinjengezethu.” (Luka 1:17; Yak. 5:17) Ukuba nathi sizimisele ukukhonza uYehova, sinokuhlala sonwabile xa sisenza imisebenzi esiyenzela yena, enoba kwenzeka ntoni ebomini bethu.