“QALA, abantwana balilifa elivela [kuJehova]; isithelo sesibeletho simvuzo ovela kuye.” (Rhu. 127:3) Akurari-ke lokha ababelethi abamaKrestu nebakwamukela ngethabo elikhulu ukubelethwa komntwana omutjha.

Ithabo lokubelethwa komntwana omutjha likhambisana nemithwalo. Bona umntwana akhule bekabe mumuntu omdala ophile kuhle, kufuze adle ukudla okunomsoco qobe. Bona umntwana adzimelele ekukhulekeni kweqiniso, utlhoga ukondliwa ngokomoya nesinqophiso sababelethi abalwela ukudzimelelisa iinkambisolawulo zakaZimu kuye. (IzA. 1:8) Kufuze kuthome nini ukubandulokho, godu kufuze kubandakanye ini?

Akhe siqale indaba kaManowarhi egade angewekoro yakwaDani, obekahlala emzini weTsora kwa-Israyeli wekadeni. Ingilozi kaJehova yatjela umfazi kaManowarhi oyinyumba bona uzokubeletha indodana. (Khk. 13:2, 3) Akunakuzaza ukuthi uManowarhi othembekileko nomkakhe bathaba khulu ngokuzwa lokho. Nokho, bekunezinto ezincamileko ezibatshwenyako. Ngalokho uManowarhi wathandaza wathi: ‘Awu Jehova, ngiyarabhela. Bengithi umuntu kaZimu, [uJehova] ebegade amthume kithi loya, akasikhambele godu ukuze asifunidse bonyana senzeni ngomsana ozokubelethwa lo.’ (Khk. 13:8) UManowarhi nomkakhe bebatshwenyeke ngokukhulisa umntwanabo. Akunakuzaza bona bafundisa umntwanabo uSamsoni imithetho kaZimu, begodu imizamwabo yaphumelela. IBhayibheli ithi, ‘umoya [kaJehova] wathoma ukumthinta [uSamsoni].’ Ngebanga lalokho uSamsoni wenza imisebenzi eminengi yamandla njengomunye wabahluleli bakwa-Israyeli.—Khk. 13:25; 14:5, 6; 15:14, 15.

Kufuze kuthome nini ukubandula umntwana? “Kwebuntwaneni,” uThimothi wabandulwa ‘ngemitlolo ecwengileko’ ngunina uYunike nogogwakhe uLowisi. (2 Thim. 1:5; 3:15) Kwamambala, ukubandulwa kwakaThimothi ngemiTlolo kwathoma asesemncani khulu.

Kukuhlakanipha ngababelethi abamaKrestu bona bathandazele isinqophiso begodu bahlele kusesengaphambili khona bazokwazi ukuthoma ukubandula umntwanabo “kwebuntwaneni.” IzAga 21:5 zithi: “Amaqhinga wokhutheleko aletha inzuzo.” Akunakuzaza bona ababelethi balungiselela kuhle ngaphambi kobana kubelethwe umntwanabo. Kungenzeka bebabe nerhelo lezinto umntwana azozitlhoga. Godu kuqakathekile ngabo bona bahlelele nezinto ezingokomoya. Umnqophwabo kufuze kube kuthoma ukubandula umntwanabo asesemncani.

Incwadi ethi Early Childhood Counts—A Programming Guide on Early Childhood Care for Development ithi: “Iinyanga zangemva nje kokubelethwa komntwana ziqakatheke khulu nekuziwa endabeni yokukhula kwengqondo. Hlangana nesikhathesi inani lemithambo yezinzwa eyakhekako (synapses)—ezisiza ekufundeni izinto ezitja—landa ngokuphindwe iinkhathi ezimatjhumi amabili.” Qala bona kukuhlakanipha okungangani ngababelethi ukubambisisa ithuba elifitjhaneli lokukhula kwengqondo yomntwanabo bona bathome ukutjala imiqondo neenkambisolawulo ezingokomoya engqondweni yomntwana!

Omunye umma oliphayona lesikhathi esizeleko wathi ngendodakazakhe encani: “Gade solo ngikhamba naye ekonzweni yesimini kusukela anenyanga eyodwa ubudala. Nanyana bekangazwisisi bona kwenzekani, ngikholelwa bonyana ukuya naye ekonzweni asesemncani kangako kwaba nomthelela omuhle kuye. Nasele aneminyaka emibili, bekakhambisela abantu esihlangana nabo esimini amaphetjhana ngokuzithemba.”

Ukubandula umntwana asesemncani kuletha imiphumela emihle. Nokho, ababelethi bafumana bona ukubandula abantwababo ngezinto ezingokomoya akusilula.

Ukuthikaziseka namtjhana ukubhalelwa kudzimelelisa umkhumbulo entweni eyodwa komntwana kungaba sitjhijilo esikhulu kubabelethi. Umntwana osesemncani angathikaziseka bulula asuke kwenye into atjheje enye. Vele banjalo, banerhuluphelo begodu balinga ukufunda ngezinto ezibabhodileko. Khuyini engenziwa babelethi ukusiza umntwanabo adzimelelise ingqondwakhe kilokho abalinga ukumfundisa khona?

Cabanga ngalokho okwatjhiwo nguMosi. UDuteronomi 6:6, 7 uthi: “Amezwi la engikulaya ngawo namhlanje azakuba sehliziywenakho. Uwabuyekeze njalo ebantwaneni bakho ngokuzimisela, ukhulume ngawo nawuhlezi emzinakho, nalokha nawukhamba endleleni, nawulalako nalokha nawuvukako.” Ibizo elithi ‘uwabuyekeze’ lidlulisela umqondo wokufundisa ngokuphindaphinda. Umntwana omncani unjengehlumela elitlhoga ukuthelelelwa qobe. Njengombana ukuphindaphinda kusiza abantu abadala bakhumbule izinto eziqakathekileko, ngokuqinisekileko kuzobasiza nabantwana abancani!

Bona bafundise abantwana iqiniso lakaZimu ababelethi kufuze babe nesikhathi nabo. Ephasini elitinazelako lanamhlanjesi, ukuzipha isikhathi sokwenza njalo kungaba budisi. Kodwana umpostoli uPowula wakhuthaza ‘ukusebenzisa elinye nelinye ithuba’ ezintweni eziqakathekileko zobuKrestu. (Efe. 5:15, 16) Kungenziwa njani lokhu? Ukulinganisela hlangana kokubandula umntwana, ukutlhogomela imithwalo  engokwasezulwini nomsebenzi wokuziphilisa, kwaba sitjhijilo komunye umbonisi omKrestu umkakhe naye omajadujadu oliphayona lesikhathi esizeleko. Bebangasakha njani isikhathi sokubandula indodakazabo? Ubaba uthi: “Qobe ekuseni ngaphambi kobana ngiye emsebenzini, mina nomkami simfundela Incwadami Yeendaba ZeBhayibhili namtjhana UkuHlolisisa ImiTlolo Qobe Langa. Ebusuku, siyaqiniseka bona siyamfundela ngaphambi kobana alale, nesiya esimini, sikhamba naye. Asifuni ukulahlekelwa minyaka yokuthoma le yokuphila kwakhe.”

Nqokuqinisekileko sifuna abantwabethu bakhule babe babantu abakwazi ukuzijamela. Nokho, umnqophethu oyihloko wokubabandula kukobana sifuna ukukhulisa ithando ngoZimu eenhliziyweni zabo.—Mar. 12:28-30.

IRhubo 127:4 lithi: “Njengemisubela esandleni sengorho, banjalo abantwana bobutjha.” Abantwana bafaniswa nemisubela ekufuze imedwe ngokunqophileko ukwenzela bona iyokuhlaba poro lapho inqotjhiswe khona. Umsubeli angekhe asawuvimba umsubela nekangawudedela emsebeni. Ababalethi baphethe ‘imisubela’—abantwababo—isikhatjhana esincancani kwaphela. Isikhatheso kufuze sisetjenziselwe ukudzimelelisa iinkamibisolawulo zakaZimu emikhumbulweni neenhliziyweni zabantwababo.

Nekakhuluma ngabantwabakhe abangokomoya, umpostoli uJwanisi watlola wathi: “Akhukho okungithokozisa kangaka ngaphandle kokuzwa bona abantwana bami bakhamba eqinisweni.” (3 Jwa. 4) Ababelethi abamaKrestu bangazwakalisa ukuthokoza okufanako nebabona abantwababo “bakhamba eqinisweni.”