Yini Ebaluleke Ngempela?
“Abaningi babo baphila ukuphila okungenanjongo, abakwazi ukubambelela emsebenzini, abanabo ubuhlobo obuhlala njalo futhi behla benyuka bezehlukanisile—futhi akukho muntu onendaba. Isizathu: Bacebe ngokwedlulele.”—The New York Times, May 15, 1984.
WAZI kahle ukuthi imali iyadingeka ukuze kutholakale ukudla, izembatho, indawo yokuhlala, izinto zokuhamba, usizo lwezokwelapha, nezinye izidingo zokuphila. Eqinisweni, mhlawumbe uyaqaphela ukuthi emphakathini wanamuhla kungaba nzima ukuphila ngaphandle kwemali, ngoba, njengoba iBhayibheli lisho, “imali iyimpendulo yakho konke.”—UmShumayeli 10:19.
Nokho, isihloko sikamagazini ocashunwe ngenhla sasiphathelene nezinkinga ezingokomzwelo zabantu abacebile. Ngokusobala, kuyoba yingozi ukugxilisa ukuphila kwakho ekuzuzeni imali nezinto ezibonakalayo. Nokho, abantu abaningi bayakwenza. Ngezinye izikhathi, isifiso sobugovu siyabulala. Sizwa ngamadoda azikhandla kanzima eminyakeni yawo yama-30 nama-40 abulawa isifo senhliziyo. Amanye alawa afaka impilo yawo, ngisho nokuphila kwawo engozini, ukuze agcwalise izifiso zawo ezihilela imali. Akudingeki ukuba size sibe abakholwe kakhulu ukuze sivume ukuthi kwakuyoba ngcono ukuba babethathe amazwi kaJesu ngokungathi sína: “Kuyakumsizani umuntu, uma ezuza izwe lonke, onakalelwe ukuphila kwakhe, na? Yingabe uyakukhiphani umuntu, kube yisihlengo sokuphila kwakhe, na?”—Mathewu 16:26.
Yini Ebaluleke Ngempela?
Ngokuqinisekile uyazi ukuthi azinakuphela izinto esingase silingekele ukuzifuna. Isiqophamazwi sevideo, indlu, izinto zezemidlalo ezibiza kakhulu—kwamanye amazwe lezi izinto ezifunwayo. Kwezinye izindawo umgomo ungase ube ebaluleke ngokulinganiselwe kakhulu. Kwelinye izwe owesifazane osemusha wazenza isifebe ukuze athole imali yokuthenga izingubo zokugqoka ezinhle.
Nakuba singase sibone ukuthi kunezingozi ezihlobene nombono wokuphila ngezinto ezibonakalayo kuphela, singazivikela kanjani? Ingabe kumelwe sifulathele umphakathi, sibe onkom’ idla yodwa noma sizehlukanise, njengoba kuye kwenza abanye? Futhi, lapho sicabangela lokho okubaluleke ngempela, kufanele sizibuze, yini eyongilethela injabulo yoqobo nokwaneliseka ekugcineni?
Ukuze sisizakale, ake sicabangele isibonelo sendoda esinamakhulu amaningi eminyaka ihlonishwa futhi iqashelwa njengesibonelo sokulandelwa. Yayingummeli wabefundisi bamaJuda futhi iyingxenye yehlelo lobuJuda lekhulu lokuqala leminyaka elalaziwa ‘ngokuthanda imali.’ (Luka 16:14) Igama layo kwakunguPawulu, futhi yayinemfundo nentshiseko eyayidingeka ukuze iqongelele ingcebo futhi izuze noma yisiphi isikhundla esiphakeme emphakathini.
Nokho, ngokuhlangenwe nakho okushaqisayo, waqonda ukuthi eqinisweni kwakunokuthile okuhluke ngokuphelele okubaluleke ngaphezu kwakho konke ekuphileni. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi manje unomqondo ofanayo noma cha, kungokwenzuzo yakho ukuthatha isikhathi uzikhumbuza ngalokho uPawulu aphetha ngakho.
Wathola ukuthi into ebaluleke ngokuyinhloko ekuphileni kwakuwukuma okuvunyelwe uNkulunkulu njengomfundi kaJesu. Lokho kwakubaluleke kakhulu kangangokuba uPawulu, njengomphostoli kaJesu, wakwazi ukubekezelela ubunzima nokushushiswa. Wayenjengendoda eyaziwayo yangaphambili, uMose, owathi “ukuthukwa ngenxa kaKristu kuyimfuyo enkulu kunengcebo yabaseGibithe.”—Heberu 11:26; 2 Korinte 11:23-27.
Kumelwe wazi futhi ukuthi uPawulu akazange azisole ngokuthi ukuba kwakhe umphostoli ongumKristu kwaphumela ekubeni alahlekelwe udumo emphakathini wamaJuda. Ngemva kokujabulela cishe iminyaka engama-25 yokuba umKristu ozinikezele, wabhala: “Lokho okwakuyinzuzo kimi ngakushaya indiva ngenxa kaKristu. Yebo impela, konke ngikushaya indiva ngobukhulu bokumazi uKristu Jesu iNkosi yami, engilahlekelwe yikho konke ngenxa yakhe, ngikushaya izibi, ukuze ngizuze uKristu, ngifunyanwe kuyena.” (Filipi 3:7-9) Uzovuma nawe ukuthi uPawulu wayeqiniseka ukuthi wayethole okuthile okubaluleke ngempela.
Ukukhetha kukaPawulu akuzange kusho ukuthi wayengasenazo izinto ezibonakalayo. Ngokwesibonelo, cabanga ngamazwi akhe athi: “Kukho konke nasezintweni zonke ngifundisiwe: ukusutha, nokulamba, nokubusa, nokuswela.”—Filipi 4:12.
Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi isimo sakho siyini ngokuqondene nobuKristu, kungenzeka uyabona ukuthi uPawulu waba nomphumela omuhle kanjani. Ukukhetha kwakhe lokho okubalulekile kwamlethela ukwaneliseka okuphunyuka amadoda nabesifazane abacebe kakhulu kuwo wonke umhlaba. UJean Paul Getty, umnini wenkampani kawoyela ongusozimali, wavuma: “Imali ayihlobene nakancane nenjabulo. Mhlawumbe ihlobene nosizi.”
Nokho, umuntu angase athi ungumKristu kodwa ahluleke ukubona lokho okubaluleke ngempela. Lokhu kwakunjalo ekhulwini lokuqala, ngoba uPawulu wathi ngomunye wababekanye naye: “UDema wangishiya ethanda lelizwe lamanje.” (2 Thimothewu 4:10) Ngesikhathi okwakumelwe asize ngaso umphostoli owayeboshiwe, uDema washiya phansi, ekhetha lokho isimiso samanje esasimnikeza khona.
Ebhekisela engozini engathi sína umbono wezinto ezibonakalayo ongafaka umKristu kuyo, uPawulu wathi: “Abafuna ukuceba bayela ekulingweni, nasesihibeni, nasezinkanukweni eziningi zobuwula ezilimazayo, ezishonisa abantu ekufeni nasekubhujisweni. Ngokuba ukuthanda imali kuyimpande yakho konke okubi; abanye ngokuyifisa . . . bazigwaza ngeminjunju eminingi.”—1 Thimothewu 6:9, 10.
Khona-ke, ungase ubuze, Iyiphi indima imali noma ingcebo okufanele kuyifeze ekuphileni kwami? Ake sihlole indaba ngokuqhubekayo ukuze sibone ukuthi ungakuthola kanjani lokho okubaluleke ngempela.