Ziziphi ezi ndlela zokuphila? Zizinto esizigqala njengezamkelekileyo nezibalulekileyo ebomini bethu. Zisenokuquka ukuxolela, ukunyaniseka, ukuzikhethela oko sifuna ukukwenza, uthando, ukuhlonipha ubomi kunye nokuzeyisa. Izinto ezibalulekileyo kuthi zibonakala kwindlela esiphila ngayo, kwizinto eziza kuqala kubomi bethu, kubuhlobo esinabo nabanye nakwindlela esibakhulisa ngayo abantwana bethu. Nangona zibalulekile ezi zinto, indlela abantu abaphila ngayo iyawohloka.

Ngo-2008, abaphandi baseUnited States badlan’ indlebe namakhulu-khulu abantu abasebatsha ukuze bave oko bakucingayo ngeendlela zokuphila ezibalulekileyo. KwiThe New York Times, uDavid Brooks wathi: “Eyona nto ityhafisayo yindlela abacinga nabathetha ngayo ngeendlela zokuphila ezibalulekileyo.” Abaninzi babekuqonda ukuba ukudlwengula nokubulala kubi, kodwa “ngaphandle kwezo zinto, babengacingi nokucinga ngento elungileyo nengalunganga, nkqu naxa bethetha ngokuqhuba unxilile,  ukukopa esikolweni okanye ukuthandana nabantu abaninzi ngexesha elinye.” Omnye wade wathi: “Andiye ndizikhathaze kangako ngokuba yiyiphi into elungileyo okanye ephosakeleyo.” Abaninzi bathi: ‘Ukuba ilungile kuwe, yenze. Yenza into efunwa yintliziyo yakho.’ Ngaba bubulumko loo nto?

Nangona intliziyo yomntu ikwazi ukuba nothando novelwano, kwangaxeshanye inokuba ‘nenkohliso ize ityhudise.’ (Yeremiya 17:9) Oko sikubona kwindlela yokuziphatha yeli hlabathi ewohlokayo—nto leyo eyaprofetwa kwangaphambili yiBhayibhile. Kwakude kudala yathi: “Ngemihla yokugqibela abantu baya kuba ngabazithandayo, abathandi bemali, abazidlayo, abanekratshi, abangenawo umsa wemvelo, iindlobongela, abangathandi kulunga, abathandi beziyolo kunokuba bathande uThixo.”—2 Timoti 3:1-5.

Zonke ezi zinto zimele zisenze sihlole iintliziyo zethu, singazithembi! IBhayibhile ithetha phandle isithi: “Okholosa ngentliziyo yakhe usisiyatha.” (IMizekeliso 28:26) Kanye njengekhampasi, kufuneka similisele iintliziyo zethu kwiindlela zokuphila ezibalulekileyo ukuze sonwabe. Sinokuzifumana phi? Abaninzi bazifunda eBhayibhileni kuba ichanile yaye ithetha phandle.

Iindlela zokuphila esizifumana eBhayibhileni zibonisa ukuba zazenzelwe abantu. Khawucinge nje ngeempawu ezimbalwa—uthando, ububele kunye nokunyaniseka.

Ukuthanda abanye.

Incwadi ethi Engineering Happiness—A New Approach for Building a Joyful Life ithi: “Ukuba uyabathanda abantu, uya konwaba.” Kucacile ke ukuba, uthando lubalulekile kuthi. Besingayi konwaba ngaphandle kwalo.

Oko kufundiswa yiBhayibhile: “Yambathani uthando, kuba lungumxokelelwane ogqibeleleyo womanyano.” (Kolose 3:14) Kwalo mbhali weBhayibhile uthi: “Ukuba andinalo uthando, ndiyinto engento.”—1 Korinte 13:2.

Olu thando alubhekiseli kwisini okanye ukuzithanda ngokugqith’ emgceni; kodwa lulawulwa yimigaqo. Lusibangela ukuba sikwazi ukunceda abantu esingabaziyo, singajonganga mbuyekezo. Kweyoku-1 kwabaseKorinte 13:4-7 sifunda oku: “Uthando luzeka kade umsindo yaye lunobubele. Uthando alunakhwele, alugwagwisi, alukhukhumali, aluziphathi ngokungandilisekanga, alufuni ezalo izilangazelelo, alucaphuki. Alunanzondo. Alubi nemihlali ngentswela-bulungisa, kodwa luvuyisana nenyaniso. Luthwala izinto zonke, . . . lunyamezela izinto zonke.”

Xa iintsapho zingenalo olo thando, akubi mnandi entsatsheni, ingakumbi ebantwaneni. Elinye ibhinqa elinguMonica labhala lathi, ngoxa lalisengumntwana lalixhatshazwa emzimbeni, ngokweemvakalelo nangesini. Lathi: “Ndandingathandwa yaye ndiphelelwe lithemba.” Xa lalineminyaka eyi-15, laya kuhlala notatomkhulu nomakhulu walo abangamaNgqina kaYehova.

 UMonica uthi: “Kwiminyaka emibini endahlala nabo bandifundisa ukuthanda nokunyamekela abanye nangona ndandineentloni. Bandinceda ndakhula ndilibhinqa elihloniphekileyo.” Ngoku uMonica owonwabileyo emtshatweni, umyeni wakhe kunye nabantwana babo babonisa uthando kwabanye ngokubaxelela ngesigidimi seBhayibhile.

Olunye utshaba lothando, kukuthanda ubunewunewu—ukukholelwa ukuba ubunewunewu nobumnandi zezona zinto zibalulekileyo ebomini. Sekunjalo, uhlolisiso lubonisa ukuba akufuneki mali ininzi ukuze umntu onwabe. Abantu abathanda ubunewunewu bazibizela iingxaki, kanye njengokuba iBhayibhile isitsho. INtshumayeli 5:10 ithi: “Umthandi nje wesilivere akayi kwaneliswa yisilivere, nabani na othanda indyebo akaneliswa yingeniso. Kwanako oku kungamampunge.” IBhayibhile iphinda ithi: “Musani ukuba ngabathandi bemali.”

—Hebhere 13:5.

Ububele.

Inqaku elaphuma eUnited States leThe Greater Good Science ­Center eseYunivesithi yaseKhalifoniya, eBerkeley lathi: “Ubungayi kuvuya xa ungena evenkileni uze uthenge ulonwabo olungasoze luphele? Le nto asiyontsomi xa loo nto uyithengayo uyithengela omnye umntu.” Ingongoma yile, eyona nto ivuyisayo kukupha kunokuphiwa.

Oko kufundiswa yiBhayibhile: “Kunoyolo ngakumbi ukupha kunokwamkela.”—IZenzo 20:35.

Eyona ndlela yokupha nesishiya sonwabile kukunikela ngexesha namandla ethu. Ngokomzekelo, ibhinqa elinguKaren labona amabhinqa amathathu—umama neentombi zakhe ezimbini—ehleli kwimoto evulwe ibhonethi. Lo mama nenye yezi ntombi babeleqa inqwelo-moya; kodwa imoto yabo yayingafuni kuduma, yaye iteksi ababeyilindile yayingade ifike. UKaren wathi uza kubasa kwisikhululo seenqwelo-moya nangona sasikumgama wemizuzu eyi-45. Bavuma. Xa ebuya, enye intombi yayisahleli emotweni kwindawo yokupaka iimoto.

Yathi: “Umyeni wam uyeza.”

UKaren wathi: “Hayi ke, xa esiza mandikushiye ndiye kusebenza kwiHolo yoBukumkani, okanye ecaweni yam.”

Yathi: “UliNgqina likaYehova?”

UKaren wathi “Ewe,” baza bancokola nje kancinane.

Kwiiveki ezimbalwa emva koko uKaren wafumana ileta eyayinendawo efundeka ngolu hlobo: “Mna nomama asisoze siyilibale into osenzele yona. Sahamba kakuhle, siyabulela! Udadewethu wasixelela ukuba uliNgqina likaYehova, satsho sasibona isizathu sokuba ube nobubele. Umama liNgqina, mna ndisayekile. Kodwa ndiza kuphinda ndiqalele kungekudala!” UKaren wayevuyiswa kukuba eye wanceda amaNgqina amabini. Wathi: “Iinyembezi zazehlela.”

Umbhali uCharles D. Warner wabhala wenjenje: “Enye yezinto ezonwabisayo . . . ebomini kukuba xa unceda abanye unceda  kwawena.” Kunjalo kuba uThixo akazange adale abantu ukuba bacingele iziqu zabo, kodwa wabadala baneempawu zakhe ezintle.—Genesis 1:27.

Ukunyaniseka.

Indlela yokuphila eyamkelekileyo ibaluleke kubo bonke abantu. Ukunganyaniseki kubangela ukuba soyike, singathembi yaye kube nzima ukuphila nabantu.

Oko kufundiswa yiBhayibhile: “Ngubani na oya kuba lundwendwe ententeni [kaThixo]? Ngulowo uhamba ngokungenasiphoso . . . ethetha inyaniso ngentliziyo yakhe.” (INdumiso 15:1, 2) Ukunyaniseka, njengezinye iimpawu esithethe ngazo, kuyinxalenye yobuntu bethu. Asinyaniseki kuba sivunyelwa nje ziimeko okanye kuba sifuna ukungenelwa.

Usamkhumbula uChristina owayechole imali? Wayengafuni ukuba sisityebi, kunoko wayefuna ukukholisa uThixo. Xa kwafika umnikazi wayo owayenyukelwe zizibilini, wamchazela ukuba imali yakhe ikhona. Wamangaliswa yindlela anyaniseke ngayo uChristina. Nomqeshi wakhe wamangaliswa koku, kangangokuba wamnyusela. Oku kungqina ubunyani bamazwi akweyoku-1 kaPetros 3:10 athi: “Lowo uthanda ukufumana ubomi nokubona imihla elungileyo, makathintele ulwimi lwakhe . . . ekuthetheni inkohliso.”

Imithetho eseBhayibhileni ibonisa ukuba uMdali wethu uyasithanda, kuba isinceda ‘sihambe endleleni yabantu abalungileyo.’ (IMizekeliso 2:20; Isaya 48:17, 18) Xa sihamba kuloo ndlela, sibonisa ukuba siyamthanda uThixo ibe uya kusisikelela. IBhayibhile isithembisa oku: ‘Gcina indlela kaThixo, uya kukuphakamisa uwudle ilifa umhlaba. Xa abangendawo benqunyulwa, uya kubona.’—INdumiso 37:34.

Banekamva eliqaqambileyo abo bathobela iBhayibhile—kuba kaloku baza kuphila ngoxolo kwihlabathi elingenabubi! Siyacaca ke ngoku isizathu sokuba kubalulekile ukufunda izinto ezithethwa yiBhayibhile.