KUNYAKA ophelileyo, bangamawaka abazalwana abaye bamiselwa njengabadala nezicaka zolungiselelo kumabandla amaNgqina KaYehova ehlabathini jikelele. Ukuba ungomnye wabo, inoba iyakuvuyisa into yokuba uye wamiselwa.

Kodwa ke imele ukuba ikhona nendawana yokuba nexhala. UJason, umdala osengumfana, ubalisa athi, “Ukumiselwa kwam, yayingathi mininzi gqitha imisebenzi ekufuneka ndiyenzile.” UMoses noYeremiya bazeya xa bathunywa nguYehova. (Eks. 4:10; Yer. 1:6) Ukuba nawe uyazeya, ungenza njani ukuze uyeke ukuzeya kwaye wenze inkqubela? Makhe sithethe ngoTimoti owayengumfundi kaKristu.—IZe. 16:1-3.

Inoba uTimoti wayesele eza kuba na-20 okanye emdadlana kunoko xa umpostile uPawulos wamcela ukuba aye kushumayela naye. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba ekuqaleni, uTimoti wayengazithembanga kwaye esoyika ukwenza umsebenzi awunikiweyo ngenxa yokuba emncinci ngeminyaka. (1 Tim. 4:11, 12; 2 Tim. 1:1, 2, 7) Kodwa, kwiminyaka elishumi kamva, uPawulos wakwazi ukuthi ngaye kwibandla laseFilipi: “Ndithembele eNkosini uYesu ukuba ndonithumela uTimoti kwakamsinya . . . Kuba andinamntu wumbi onokuninyamekela ngokwenene njengaye.”—Fil. 2:19, 20.

Yintoni le yayisenza uTimoti abalasele kangaka njengomdala? Makhe sithethe ngezinto ezintandathu eninokuzifunda kuye.

1. Wayebathanda nyhani abantu. UPawulos wathi kubazalwana baseFilipi: ‘UTimoti uza kuninyamekela ngokwenene.’ (Fil. 2:20) Nyhani ke uTimoti wayebathanda abantu. Wayefuna nyhani ukuba basondele kuYehova, ekulungele ukuncama nantoni na ngenxa yabo.

Sanukufana nomnye umqhubi webhasi owayehoye ukufika ngexesha estopini kunokuba akhwelise abantu. UWilliam, obengumdala iminyaka engaphezu kweyi-20, nohlonitshwayo ngabazalwana, uthi xa ecebisa amadoda asandul’ ukumiselwa: “Bathandeni abazalwana. Jongani kakhulu izinto abazidingayo kunokuba nihoye imisebenzi yebandla yodwa.”

2. Umsebenzi wokushumayela wawusiza kuqala kuye. UPawulos wachaza indlela uTimoti awayahluke ngayo kwabanye abazalwana, esithi: “Bonke abanye bafuna izilangazelelo zabo, kungekhona ezikaKristu Yesu.” (Fil. 2:21) UPawulos wayeseRoma xa wayebhala la mazwi. Waqaphela ukuba abazalwana balapho babexakeke zizinto zabo. Babekonqena ukushumayela. Wayengelovila yena uTimoti! Xa kwavela ithuba lokushumayela iindaba ezilungileyo, wenza njengoIsaya, owathi: “Ndikho! Thuma mna.”—Isa. 6:8.

Unokwenza njani ukuze izinto zakho zingathathi ixesha lezinto zebandla? Okokuqala, zazi izinto ezimele zize kuqala. UPawulos wathi: “Niqiniseke ngezinto ezibaluleke ngakumbi.” (Fil. 1:10) Izinto ezibalulekileyo kuThixo mazibaluleke nakuwe. Okwesibini, ziyeke izinto ezitya ixesha nezikuqobayo. UPawulos wathi kuTimoti: “Zisabe iinkanuko  zobutsha, uphuthume ubulungisa, ukholo, uthando, uxolo.”—2 Tim. 2:22.

3. Wayewukhuthalele umsebenzi ongcwele. UPawulos wakhumbuza abazalwana baseFilipi wathi: “Niyabazi ubungqina [uTimoti] awabunikelayo ngaye siqu, bokuba waba likhoboka kunye nam ekuhambiseleni phambili iindaba ezilungileyo, kanye njengomntwana okunye noyise.” (Fil. 2:22) UTimoti wayengonqeni. Wasebenza ngamandla noPawulos, ibe loo nto yabenza basondelelana kakhulu.

Mninzi umsebenzi entlanganweni kaThixo kule mihla. Uyanelisa kwaye usenza sisondele kubazalwana noodadewethu. Ngoko khawuzame ukuba ‘nokuninzi kokwenza emsebenzini weNkosi.’—1 Kor. 15:58.

4. Wazenza izinto azifundileyo. UPawulos wathi kuTimoti: “Wena uyilandele ngokusondeleyo imfundiso yam, ikhondo lam lobomi, injongo yam, ukholo lwam, ukuzeka kade umsindo kwam, uthando lwam, unyamezelo lwam.” (2 Tim. 3:10) UTimoti wazenza izinto azifundileyo, ibe loo nto yamenza wafanelekela imisebenzi engakumbi.—1 Kor. 4:17.

Ngaba wena unaye umzalwana omdala kunawe nonamava onokufunda kuye? Ukuba awunaye, kutheni ungamkhangeli nje? UTom, oneminyaka engumdala, ukhumbula oku: “Kukho umdala onamava owandihoyayo waza wandiqeqesha kakuhle. Ndandidla ngokucela amacebiso kuye ndize ndiwasebenzise. Loo nto yandenza ndakhawuleza ndazithemba.”

5. Akazange ayeke ukuziqeqesha. UPawulos wathi kuTimoti: “Yiba nosukelo lokuziqeqesha ngozinikelo lobuthixo.” (1 Tim. 4:7) Kwanaxa imbaleki inomqeqeshi, kufuneka nayo iziqeqeshe. UPawulos waphinda wathi kuTimoti: “Qhubeka uzibhokoxa kufundo lwasesidlangalaleni, ekubongozeni nasekufundiseni. . . . Ziphonononge ezi zinto; wendele kuzo, ukuze ukuhambela kwakho phambili kubonakale ebantwini bonke.”—1 Tim. 4:13-15.

Qhubeka ubuphucula ubuchule onabo. Sukuma ndawonye okanye uqhubeke ubambelele kwiindlela zakudala zokwenza izinto ebandleni. Kwaye sukuzithemba ngokugqithiseleyo—mhlawumbi ucinge ukuba, ngenxa yamava onawo, ungenza nantoni na ungakhange uphande kakuhle. NjengoTimoti, “zilumkele wena nemfundiso yakho.”—1 Tim. 4:16.

6. Wayethembele ngomoya kaYehova. UPawulos wamkhumbuza le nto uTimoti: “Yilondoloze kakuhle loo nto uyiphathisiweyo, ngoncedo lomoya oyingcwele ohleliyo kuthi.” (2 Tim. 1:14) Ukuze aqhubeke esebenza kakuhle, kwakuza kufuneka athembele ngomoya kaThixo.

UDonald, onamashumi eminyaka engumdala, uthi: “Amadoda amiselweyo amele abuxabise ubuhlobo bawo noThixo. Amadoda ayenzayo le nto aza kuya esomelela. Ukuba ayawuthandazela umoya kaThixo aze azame ukuba nesiqhamo sawo, aza kuba yintsikelelo kubazalwana bawo.”—INdu. 84:7; 1 Pet. 4:11.

Sivuya kakhulu bazalwana abasandul’ ukumiselwa xa sinibona nisenza inkqubela entlanganweni. UJason, esithethe ngaye ekuqaleni, uthi: “Ininzi into endiyifunde ngeli xesha ndingumdala, ibe ngoku andisoyiki xa ndisenza izinto. Ngoku ndiyawuthanda umsebenzi endiwunikiweyo ebandleni ibe ndiwuthatha njengenyhweba enkulu!”

Ngaba uza kumvumela uYehova ukuba aqhubeke ekusebenzisa? Zimisele ukufunda kuTimoti. Nawe uza kutsho ube yintsikelelo kubantu bakaThixo.