UFERNANDO * wayenexhala. Abadala ababini babecele ukuthetha naye. Emva kokuba umveleli wesiphaluka etyelele ibandla lakhe izihlandlo eziliqela, abadala babemchazele izinto amele azenze ukuze afanelekele amalungelo angakumbi ebandleni. Njengokuba ixesha lalihamba, uFernando wayeyithandabuza into yokuba uya kuze amiselwe abe ngumdala. Ngoku umveleli wesiphaluka wayesandul’ ukutyelela ibandla lakhe. Babeza kuthini ngoku kuye abadala?

UFernando waphulaphula njengoko omnye waba badala wayethetha naye. Lo mzalwana wathetha ngeyoku-1 kuTimoti 3:1 waza wathi abadala bafumene ileta ethi umiselwe waba ngumdala. UFernando wothuka waza wathi, “Uthi kutheni?” Lo mzalwana wayiphinda le nto wayeyithetha, waza uFernando wancuma. Xa kwenziwa isaziso emva koko ebandleni, kwavuya wonk’ umntu.

Ngaba kuphosakele ukufuna amalungelo ebandleni? Akuphosakelanga. Ngokutsho kweyoku-1 kuTimoti 3:1, “ukuba ubani uzabalazela isigxina sobuveleli, unqwenela umsebenzi omhle.” Amadoda amaninzi angamaKristu ayayenza le nto ikhuthazwa sesi sibhalo, aze enze inkqubela de akufanelekele ukufumana amalungelo ebandleni. Loo nto ibangela ukuba abantu bakaThixo basikelelwe ngamashumi amawaka abadala nezicaka zolungiselelo. Kodwa ekubeni kukho ulwando emabandleni, kusafuneka abazalwana abaninzi bazabalazele amalungelo. Yiyiphi eyona ndlela ifanelekileyo yokwenza oku? Ngaba abo bazabalazela ukuba ngabadala bamele bazixhalabise ngale nto njengoFernando?

Ibinzana eliseBhayibhileni elithi ‘ukuzabalazela’ liguqulela isenzi sesiGrike esithetha ukunqwenela into ethile, uyolulele isandla. Oku kunokukwenza ucinge ngomntu owolula isandla ukuze akhe isiqhamo esimnandi emthini. Kodwa ukuzabalazela amalungelo akuthethi ukunyolukela “isigxina sobuveleli.” Ngoba? Kaloku abantu abanqwenela  ukuba ngabadala bamele bakwenze oku kuba befuna ukwenza “umsebenzi omhle,” kungekhona kuba befuna isikhundla.

Izinto ezininzi ezifunekayo ukuze umntu afanelekele lo msebenzi mhle zichazwe kweyoku-1 kuTimoti 3:2-7 nakuTito 1:5-9. Ethetha ngaloo milinganiselo iphakamileyo, uRaymond ongumdala onamava uthi: “Kum, eyona nto ibalulekileyo yile nto umntu ayiyo. Ukunikela iintetho nokufundisa kubalulekile, kodwa ezo zinto azithethi kuthi akubalulekanga ukuba ngumntu ongenakukhalazeleka, ongcathu ngemikhwa, ophilileyo engqondweni, olungeleleneyo, obuk’ iindwendwe nonengqiqo.”

Umzalwana ozabalazela amalungelo ubonisa ukuba akanakukhalazeleka ngokuphepha nantoni na ebonisa ukunganyaniseki nokungahlambuluki. Ungcathu ngemikhwa, uphilile engqondweni, ulungelelene ibe unengqiqo; ngenxa yoko, abanye abavakalisi ebandleni bayamthemba ukuba angabakhokela aze abancede kwiingxaki zabo. Ekubeni engumntu obuk’ iindwendwe, ulukhuthazo kubantu abaselula nakwabo basebatsha enyanisweni. Uyabathuthuzela aze abancede abagulayo nabalupheleyo kuba uyakuthanda ukulunga. Uzabalazela ukuba nezi mpawu kuba efuna ukunceda abanye, kungekhona kuba eleqa isikhundla. *

Iqumrhu labadala linokumcebisa lize limkhuthaze umntu ozabalazela amalungelo, kodwa ukwenza izinto ezifunekayo ezichazwe kwiZibhalo kuxhomekeke kuye. UHenry, ongumdala onamava, uthi: “Ukuba uzabalazela amalungelo, sebenza nzima ukuze ubonise ukuba uyafaneleka.” Ethetha ngeNtshumayeli 9:10, uthi: “‘Konke esikufumanayo ukuba sikwenze isandla sakho kwenze ngamandla akho onke.’ Nawuphi na umsebenzi owunikwa ngabadala, wenze ngamandla akho onke. Zimisele kuwo wonke umsebenzi ebandleni, nkqu nokutshayela. Ethubeni, baya kuyiqaphela imigudu yakho.” Ukuba unqwenela ukuba ngumdala ngenye imini, sebenza nzima uze uthembeke kwinto yonke. Eyona nto ibalulekileyo kukuthobeka, kungekhona ikratshi.—Mat. 23:8-12.

Abanye abanqwenela amalungelo ebandleni basenokufuna ukuzicengezela okanye bazithandise kubadala. Abanye bayakhathazeka xa abadala bebaluleka. Abantu abanjalo bamele bazibuze, ‘Ngaba ndifuna kulungelwe mna, okanye ndifuna ukunyamekela izimvu zikaYehova?’

Abo bazabalazela amalungelo bamele bangayilibali enye into efunekayo kubadala, ‘ukuba yimizekelo emhlambini.’ (1 Pet. 5:1-3) Umntu ongumzekelo ebandleni uyakuphepha ukucinga nokwenza izinto ngobuqhophololo. Uyanyamezela aze abe nomonde enoba ungumdala okanye akanguye. Ukuba ngumdala akumenzi umntu ayeke ukungafezeki. (Num. 12:3; INdu. 106:32, 33) Kwakhona, umzalwana ‘usenokungazi nto enxamnye naye,’ kodwa abanye basenokubona iimpawu ezingathandekiyo. (1 Kor. 4:4) Ngoko, ukuba abadala bakunika amacebiso acacileyo nasuka eBhayibhileni, baphulaphule ungakruquki. Emva koko, sebenzela ukwenza loo nto bayithethayo.

Abanye abazalwana bavakalelwa kukuba sele lilide ixesha belinde ukumiselwa. Ukuba sele kudlule iminyaka “uzabalazela isigxina sobuveleli,” ngaba ukhe ube nexhala? Ukuba kunjalo, khawucinge ngala mazwi aphefumlelweyo athi: “Ulindelo olubanjezelweyo lugulisa intliziyo, kodwa ingumthi wobomi into enqwenelekayo xa ifika.”—IMize. 13:12.

Xa usukelo oluthile lubonakala lungade lufikeleleke, umntu usenokuba nentliziyo ebuhlungu. UAbraham wayevakalelwa ngolo hlobo. UYehova wayemthembise unyana, kodwa kwadlula iminyaka yena noSara bengenabantwana. (Gen. 12:1-3, 7) Xa wayesaluphala, uAbraham wathi: “Nkosi enguMongami Yehova, uya kundinika ntoni na, njengokuba ndingenabantwana nje . . . Akundinikanga mbewu.” UYehova wamqinisekisa ukuba wayeza kumfumana lo nyana wayemthembise ngaye. Kodwa kwadlula iminyaka emalunga neyi-14 ngaphambi kokuba sizaliseke isithembiso sikaThixo.—Gen. 15:2-4; 16:16; 21:5.

Ngoxa wayelindile, ngaba uAbraham wayeka ukufumana uvuyo ekukhonzeni uYehova? Hayi. Akazange athandabuze ukuba isithembiso sikaThixo siza kuzaliseka. Wahlala ekhangele phambili kuso. Umpostile uPawulos wathi: “Emva kokuba uAbraham ebonise umonde, wasifumana esi sithembiso.” (Heb. 6:15) Ekugqibeleni, uThixo onguSomandla wayisikelela le ndoda ithembekileyo ngendlela eyayingazange iyilindele. Ufunda ntoni kuAbraham?

Ukuba ungathanda ukuba ngumdala kodwa sekugqithe iminyaka ungade umiselwe, qhubeka uthembele kuYehova. Ungayeki ukumkhonza ngovuyo. UWarren oye wanceda abazalwana abaninzi benza inkqubela uyasichaza isizathu soku: “Ukufanelekela ukumiselwa kuthatha ixesha. Ethubeni, ngokuthe ngcembe izakhono zomzalwana nendlela acinga ngayo ibonakala kwindlela  aziphatha ngayo nendlela azenza ngayo izabelo azinikwayo. Abanye bacinga ukuba ukuphumelela kuxhomekeke ekufumaneni ilungelo elithile okanye ekumiselweni. Kuphosakele ukucinga ngolo hlobo yaye kunokwenza umntu athi phithi ngamalungelo. Ukuba ukhonza uYehova ngokuthembeka naphi na, nakuyo nantoni na oyenzayo, uya kube uphumelele.”

Omnye umzalwana wamiselwa waba ngumdala emva kokuba elinde iminyaka engaphezu kweshumi. Ethetha ngenkcazelo ekuHezekile isahluko 1, uchaza into awayifundayo ngala mazwi: “UYehova uqhuba inqwelo yakhe, intlangano yakhe, ngesantya esifunwa nguye. Into ebalulekileyo asiloxesha elifunwa sithi, lixesha elifunwa nguYehova. Kumba wokufuna ukuba ngumdala, ayibalulekanga into efunwa ndim. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba le nto ndiyifunayo, uYehova akaboni ndiyidinga.”

Ukuba unethemba lokuba ngumdala ngeny’ imini, zabalazela ukufaka isandla kulonwabo lwebandla. Ukuba kubonakala ngathi ixesha liyacotha, ungabi naxhala, kodwa yiba nomonde. URaymond, ochazwe ngaphambili, uthi: “Soze waneliseke xa unamabhongo. Abantu abasoloko bexhalabile abakonwabeli ukukhonza uYehova.” Zama ukuba nesiqhamo somoya kaThixo, ingakumbi umonde. Zama ukuqinisa ukholo lwakho ngokufundisisa iZibhalo. Zibhokoxe ekushumayeleni iindaba ezilungileyo nasekufundiseni abantu abanomdla iBhayibhile. Khokela intsapho yakho kwizinto zobuthixo nakunqulo lwentsapho. Hlala ukonwabela ukuba kunye nabazalwana noodade. Njengoko uzabalazela ukufikelela usukelo lwakho, uya kukonwabela ukukhonza uYehova.

Ukufumana ithuba lokufanelekela amalungelo ebandleni yintsikelelo kaYehova; ibe yena nentlangano yakhe abanqweneli ukuba abo bazabalazela isigxina sobuveleli bakruquke baze bangakonwabeli ukumkhonza. UThixo uyabaxhasa aze abasikelele bonke abo bamkhonza beneenjongo ezintle. “Akongezi ntlungu kuyo” nayiphi na intsikelelo yakhe.—IMize. 10:22.

Enoba sele unethuba elide uzabalazela amalungelo, usenako ukwenza inkqubela. Njengoko usebenzela ukuba neempawu ezifunekayo ibe uzibhokoxa ebandleni ngoxa ungayityesheli intsapho yakho, uYehova akayi kuwulibala umgudu wakho wokumkhonza. Ngamana ungahlala uyoliswa kukukhonza uYehova kuso nasiphi na isabelo osifumanayo.