UZIZWA njani nawucabanga ngokuluphala? Abanengi kubenza bazizwe batshwenyekile, bebasabe. Lokhu kungebanga lokobana ngokuvamileko ukuluphala kuhlotjaniswa nemicabango engakhiko, njengokutshwabana isikhumba, umzimba obuthakathaka, ukulahlekelwa mkhumbulo, namalwelwe angapholiko.

Nanyana kunjalo, iqiniso likukuthi abantu bahluke khulu endleleni abaluphala ngayo. Abanye baragela phambili bathabela ipilo ehle, ngokomzimba nemkhumbulweni, ngitjho nalapho sebaluphele. Ukuthuthuka kwezokwelapha kusize abanye bakwazi ukwelapha nofana ukulawula amagulo angapholiko. Ngebanga lalokhu, kwezinye iinarha abantu abanengi baphila isikhathi eside nepilwehle.

Nokho, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi uqalane nemiraro yokuluphala nofana awa, abantu abanengi bafisa ukuluphala bathabile. Lokhu singakwenza njani? Kilokhu, ukwenza njalo kuyame ekucabangeni kwethu, ekuzimiseleni nekghonweni lokuzivumelanisa nesigaba sepilo etjha le. Bona sifumane isizo kilokhu, akhe sihlole ezinye iinkambisolawulo zeBhayibheli ezisebenzako.

YIBA NGOTHOBEKILEKO: “Abazithobako banokuhlakanipha.” (IzAga 11:2) Emongweni lo, ‘abathobekilekwaba’ baqalisele ebantwini abakhulileko abamukelako ukuthi angeze basakwazi ukwenza koke ebebakghona ukukwenza, angekhe bakubalekela lokho. UCharles weBrazil, oneminyaka eyi-93, ngokuthembeka uthi: “Nawuphila isikhathi eside, uzokuluphala. Akukghonakali ukuthi ube mutjha godu.”

Nanyana kunjalo, ukuba ngothobekileko akutjho ukuba nomcabango ongakhiko wokuthi “sengikhulile, ayikho into engingayenza.” Ukucabanga okunjalo kungehlisa itjisekwakho. IzAga 24:10 zithi, “Nawunyefako ngesikhathi sokubandezelwa, umkhawulo wamandlakho uyabonakala.” Kunalokho, umuntu othobekileko utjengisa ukuhlakanipha, ubanombono omuhle, ulinga ukwenza angakghona ukukwenza.

UCorrado, we-Italy, oneminyaka eyi-77 uthi: “Nawutjhayela ikoloyi ukhuphuka intaba, kufanele utjhentjhele egereni eliphasi ukwenzela ukuthi i-enjini iragele phambili iduma.” Iye, kufuze kwenziwe amatjhuguluko umuntu nakaluphalako. UCorrado nomkakhe sebathoma ukulinganisela ekwenzeni imisebenzi yangendlini, balandela ihlelo labo elincani ukubalekela ukudinwa khulu ekupheleni kwelanga. UMarian weBrazil, oneminyaka eyi-81, naye mumuntu ozithobileko endleleni aqala ngayo ukuluphala. Uthi, “Ngifunde ukukhambisana nobujamo bami. Nginande  ngiphumula nakutlhogekako nangenza imisebenzi ethileko. Ngihlala phasi nofana ngibhambalale nangifundako namkha ngilalele umbhino. Ngifunde ukuthi ngamukele bona angeze ngisakwazi ukwenza ebengihlale ngikwenza.”

YIBA NGOLINGANISELAKO: ‘Abafazi abembathe kuhle nangokuhloniphekileko, kube zizambatho ezifaneleko, ezinesizotha nokuvuthwa engqondweni.’ (1 Thimothi 2:9, NW) Amezwi athi, ‘izambatho ezifaneleko’ atjho ukulinganisela nokumbatha kuhle. UBarbara weCanada, oneminyaka eyi-74, uthi: “Ngilinga ukumbatha kuhle begodu ngihlale ngihlwengekile. Angifuni ukubonakala ngitshetlha ngombana ngithi ngiluphele; ngingabinendaba ukuthi ngiqaleka njani.” UFern, weBrazil, oneminyaka eyi-91, uthi: “Ngasikhathi ngithenga izambatho ezitjha ukwenzela ukuthi ngiqaleke ngimuhle.” Kungathiwani ngomuntu olupheleko? U-Antônio, weBrazil, oneminyaka eyi-73 uthi, “Ngilinga ngakho koke ukuthi ngiqaleke ngimuhle, ngokuthi ngimbathe izambatho ezihlwengekileko.” Malungana nokuhlwengeka komuntu mathupha, unaba ngokuthi: “Ngihlamba qobe langa bengitjhefe neendevu.”

Ngakelinye ihlangothi, kuqakathekile ukubalekela ukutshwenyeka ngokuqaleka kwakho bekufike ezingeni lokubhalelwa kutjengisa ‘ukuvuthwa kwengqondo.’ UBok-im, weSouth Korea, oneminyaka eyi-69, unombono olinganiseleko ngezambatho. Uthi: “Ngiyatjheja ukuthi akusikuhle ukumbatha izambatho ebengizimbatha nangisesemutjha.”

YIBA NOMBONO OMUHLE NGEZINTO: “Woke amalanga wesichaka mambi, kodwana odlhudlhekako uzizwela umgidi njalo.” (IzAga 15:15) Njengombana uluphala, ungacabanga ngezinto ezingakhiko nawukhumbula amandla wobutjha bakho nezinto ezinengi obewukghona ukuzenza. Lokhu kuyazwisiseka. Nanyana kunjalo, yenza umzamo bona ungahlulwa micabango engakhiko leyo. Ukucabanga ngezinto ezidlulileko kungakwenza ugandeleleke epilweni bewudaniswe kukwenza lokho okghona ukukwenza nje. UJoseph, weCanada oneminyaka eyi-79, unombono omuhle uthi: “Ngilinga ukuthabela ukwenza izinto engingakghona ukuzenza ngingalileli khulu izinto ebengikghona ukuzenza engingasakwazi ukuzenza nje.”

Ukufunda nokwazi kungakwenza ube nombono omuhle, ube nomqondo ovulekileko ngezinto ezitjha. Ngalokho, bona ukghone ukwenza njalo, sebenzisa amathuba wokufunda nokwazi izinto ezitjha. U-Ernesto wePhilippines, oneminyaka eyi-74, uya ebulungelweni leencwadi begodu aqalaqale iincwadi angathanda ukuzifunda. Uthi, “Ngisakuthabela ukufunda iincwadi ezikhuluma ngabantu abanesibindi sokuqalana nezehlakalo eziyingozi. Kuba ngasuthi angikho ekhayapha, ngikhamba nabo njengombana ngifunda incwadi le.” ULennart, weSweden, oneminyaka eyi-75, wathoma umsebenzi obudisi wokufunda ilimi elitjha.

YIBA NGOPHAKO: “Yiphani, nani nizakuphiwa.” (Lukasi 6:38) Kwenze umkhuba ukusebenzisa isikhathi sakho nokwabelana izinto nabanye. Lokhu kuzokwenza  uzizwe uthabile begodu ufeze okuthileko. UHosa, weBrazil, oneminyaka eyi-85, ulinga ngamandla ukusiza abanye naphezu ngokulinganisela ngokomzimba. Uthi: “Ngifowunela abangani abagulako nofana abadanileko, ngibatlolele neencwadi. Ngezinye iinkhathi ngibathumelela izipho ezincani. Godu ngithanda ukupheka namkha ngenzele abantu abagulako izinto ezimnandi ezinjephudinghi.”

Nasiphanako kukhuthaza abanye nabo baphane. UJan weSweden, oneminyaka eyi-66, uthi, “Nawubonisa abanye ithando, nabo bazokusabela ngokuthi bakutjengise ithando nomusa.” Iye, umuntu ophanako wenza kube nomoya omuhle nokuthokoza abanye bafumane ithabo.

YIBA NOBUNGANI: “Umuntu onganabuntu uzifunela kwakhe, ukhuluma kumbi ngabaphumelelako.” (IzAga 18:1) Nanyana ziba khona iinkhathi lapho ungafuna ukuba wedwa, kubalekele ukuzihlukanisa ube yikomo edla yodwa. U-Innocent weNigeria, oneminyaka eyi-72, uyakuthabela ukuba nabangani. “Ngiyakuthabela ukuzihlanganisa nabantu babo boke ubudala.” UBörje weSweden, oneminyaka eyi-85, uthi, “Ngilinga ngamandla bona ngizihlanganise nabantu abatjha. Umdlandlabo ungenza ngizizwe ngimutjha godu—okunganani ngaphakathi.” Akube nguwe othatha igadango lokumema abangani ngezinye iinkhathi. UHan-sik, weSouth Korea oneminyaka eyi-72, uthi: “Mina nomkami sithanda ukumema abangani babo boke ubudala, eselebakhulile nabantu abatjha, ukwenzela bona sithabele ubudlelwano nofana isidlo santambama.”

Abantu abanobungani bayakhulumisana. Ukuba nobungani kutjho ukukhuluma nabanye kodwana nawe kufuze ubalalela nabakhulumako. Tjengisa ikareko kwabanye. UHelena weMozambique, oneminyaka eyi-71, uthi: “Nginobungani begodu ngiphatha abanye ngehlonipho. Ngilalela lokho abakutjhoko ukwenzela bona ngifumane ukuthi bacabangani nokuthi khuyini abakuthandako.” UJosé, weBrazil oneminyaka eyi-73, uthi: “Abantu bayakuthanda ukuba hlangana nabantu abalalelako—labo abatjengisa izwela nokuba nekareko kwabanye, ukubuka abanye ngamezwi akhuthazako ngesikhathi esifaneleko, nalabo abanamahlaya.”

Nawuveza amazizwakho, tjheja bona ‘ikulumo yakho ibe nomusa njalo, inungwe ngetswayi.’ (Kolose 4:6) Yiba ngocabangelako, bewukhuthaze.

YIBA NGOTHOKOZAKO: ‘Yiba ngothokozako.’ (Kolose 3:15) Nawamukela isizo, tjengisa ukuthokoza ngalokho. Ukutjengisa ukuthokoza kwakha ubuhlobo obuhle nabanye. UMarie-Paule weCanada, oneminyaka eyi-74, uthi, “Mina nendodakwami mvanje sithuthele efledzeni. Abangani bethu abanengi basisizile njengombana sithutha. Silithokoza khulu isizo labo. Sabathumelela amakarada sibathokoza, abanye sabamemela esidlweni.” UJae-won, weSouth Korea oneminyaka eyi-76, ukuthokoza khulu ukusizwa ngento yokukhamba nakaya eWolweni lomBuso. Uthi: “Ngilithokoza khulu isizo engilifumanako kangangobana ngikhipha umnikelo wokuthenga ipetroli. Ngezinye iinkhathi ngenza izipho ezincani ezitlolwe umlayezo wokuthokoza.”

Ngaphezu kwakho koke, bonisa ukuthokoza ngokuphila. IKosi ehlakaniphileko uSolomoni yathi, “nenja ephilako ingcono kunebhubezi elifileko.” (UMtjhumayeli 9:4) Iye, nawunomkhumbulo omuhle begodu uzimisela ukuzivumelanisa nobujamo, kungakghoneka ukuragela phambili uthabile ngitjho nalokha sewuluphele.