Ewe, ihlabathi elinoxolo liyeza. (INdumiso 37:11; 72:14) Kutheni ungafundi ngakumbi ngendlela onokukufanelekela ngayo ukuphila kwelo hlabathi lingenagonyamelo? "kusukela endalweni kuze kube manje, unkulunkulu ubekezelele ubuhlungu obukhulu, wahlaselwa kaningi. kodwa kuze kube namuhla, umuntu akakayeki ukufuna izinto kunkulunkulu, usacwaninga ngonkulunkulu, abakambekezeleli, abakwenzayo nje ukumeluleka, nokumgxeka, nokumyala, njengokungathi besaba ukuthi unkulunkulu uzothatha indlela engafanele, ukuthi unkulunkulu osemhlabeni akacabangi, noma ulandela isixuku, noma ukuthi ngeke abone lutho. umuntu ubehlale enalo mbono ngonkulunkulu. angahlala kanjani angadabuki unkulunkulu? lapho eba inyama, unkulunkulu ubekezelele ubuhlungu obukhulu nokuhlazwa; kufanele kube obungakanani obenza unkulunkulu amukele izimfundiso zomuntu? ukufika kwakhe kubantu kumphuce yonke inkululeko, njengokuthi aboshwe ehayidesi, wamukele uhlinzwa umuntu ngaphandle kokunqikaza. ingabe lokhu akulona ihlazo? lapho eza emndenini womuntu ovamile, ujesu wabona ukungabi nabulungiswa okukhulu. okuhlazisa nakakhulu ukuthi uze emhlabeni onothuli wazithoba kokuphansi kakhulu, waqhubeka nomzimba wenyama ejwayelekile. ekubeni umuntukazana, ingabe unkulunkulu ophakeme kakhulu akabhekani nobunzima? ingabe lokhu akukhona okwaso sonke isintu? ingabe zikhona izikhathi lapho ayecabanga khona ngaye? ngemva kokuphikwa nokubulawa ngamajuda, nokuchwenswa abantu, akazange akhononde emazulwini noma abhikishe emhlabeni. namuhla, inhlekelele enezinkulungwane zeminyaka iphinde yavela kubantu abafana namajuda. ingabe abenzi izono ezifanayo? yini eyenza umuntu afaneleke ukuthola izithembiso zikankulunkulu? ingabe akamelani nonkulunkulu bese emukela izibusiso zakhe? kungani umuntu engenabo ubulungiswa, noma afune iqiniso? kungani engalokothi abe nendaba ngokwenziwa unkulunkulu? kukuphi ukulunga kwakhe? buphi ubulungiswa bakhe? ingabe angakwazi ukumelela unkulunkulu? bukuphi ubulungiswa bakhe? kungakanani okuthandwa umuntu okuthandwa nawunkulunkulu? umuntu akakwazi ukubona ushoki kushizi, uhlale ehluleka ukwehlukanisa phakathi kokumhlophe nokumnyama, uphambanisa ubulungiswa neqiniso, ukungabi nabulungiswa nokungalungi. ubalekisa ukukhanya, futhi ahambe phambi kobumnyama. labo abafuna iqiniso nobulungiswa bagcina bexosha ukukhanya, labo abafuna unkulunkulu bayathuthumela ngaphansi kwezinyawo zabo, futhi baziphakamisele esibhakabhakeni. umuntu akahlukile kumphangi. siphi isizathu sakhe? ubani ongahlukanisa okulungile nokungalungile? ubani ongavimba ubulungisa? ubani ozimisele ukuhlupheka ngenxa yeqiniso? abantu bakhohlakele futhi babi ngokwedlulele! ngemva kokubethela unkulunkulu esiphambanweni bashaya izandla bajabula, isililo esingenangqondo sabo asipheli. bafana nezinkukhu nezinja, bayaphahlazeka bese behlangana, bakhe owabo umbuso, ithonya labo liphazamise yonke indawo, bavale amehlo abo babubula, bahlangene labo abangaboni bazihlanganisa nabanye abangaboni, bonke baphethe amagama “asabekayo” oyise. lezi zinja nezinkukhu kade zimkhipha zimfaka unkulunkulu ezingqondweni zazo, futhi azikaze zisinake isimo senhliziyo kankulunkulu. yingakho unkulunkulu ethi abantu bafana nezinja nezinkukhu, inja eyodwa ekhonkothayo yenza ezinye zishaye umkhulungwane; uwuthenge ngale ndlela umsebenzi kankulunkulu osukwini lwamanje, njengomsebenzi onganakiwe unjalo umsebenzi wakhe, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi unobulingiswa, unendawo yokubeka izinyawo zakhe, nokuthi ikusasa lizobe linjani, ukuba phansi kwakhe, nenzondo yakhe. umuntu akakaze akucabange kakhulu lokhu, akakaze akhathazeke ngekusasa, ukufukamele konke okunenzuzo, akukho akushiyele unkulunkulu ngaphandle kwezicucu nezinsalela. yeka ukuthi isintu sikhohlakele kanjani! asinayo imizwa kankulunkulu, ngemva kokunika unkulunkulu konke ngesinyelela, simlandela kude kakhulu unkulunkulu, asikunaki ukuba khona kwakhe. sijabulela unkulunkulu, kodwa siyamelana naye, siyathuthumela, kodwa emlonyeni siyambonga futhi siyamdumisa unkulunkulu; sithandaza kunkulunkulu, sincike kunkulunkulu, kuyilapho sikhohlisa unkulunkulu; “siphakamisa” igama likankulunkulu, futhi sibheke ubuso bukankulunkulu, kodwa ngaphandle kwamahloni sihlale esihlalweni sobukhosi sikankulunkulu futhi sahlulele “abangalungile” kunkulunkulu; emlonyeni wakhe kuphuma amazwi athi uzibophezele kunkulunkulu, futhi ubheka amazwi kankulunkulu, kodwa enhliziyweni yakhe uyabubula ngonkulunkulu; “uyambekezelela” uphinde amcindezele unkulunkulu, umlomo wakhe uthi kungenxa kankulunkulu; ezandleni zakhe uphethe izinto zikankulunkulu, emlonyeni wakhe uhlafuna izinto azinikwe unkulunkulu, kodwa emehlweni akhe ulokhu egqolozele unkulunkulu, njengokungathi ufisa ukukuphanga konke; ubuka iqiniso bese eqinisa ngokuthi liyicebo likasathane; ubuka ubulungiswa bese ebuphika ngaphakathi kuye; ubheka izenzo zomuntu bese ethi ziyilokhu unkulunkulu ayikho; ubheka iziphiwo zomuntu bese ethi ziyiqiniso; ubheka izenzo zikankulunkulu bese ethi zingamanga; lapho umuntu ubona unkulunkulu, ufuna ngenkani ukumbiza ngomuntu, futhi uzama kanzima ukumbeka esihlalweni sesidalwa esifuze usathane; wazi kahle kamhlophe ukuthi izinto zikankulunkulu, kodwa ukubiza ngemibhalo yabantu; wazi kahle kamhlophe ukuthi umoya uyaqapheleka enyameni, unkulunkulu uba inyama, kodwa uthi leyo nyama iyinzalo kasathane; wazi kahle kamhlophe ukuthi unkulunkulu uthobekile futhi uzifihlile, kodwa uthi kuhlaziswe usathane kuphela, unkulunkulu unqobile. izinto ezingelusizo lwalutho! umuntu akafaneleki ngisho nokuba yinja yasendle! akakwazi ukuhlukanisa okumnyama nokumhlophe, futhi ukuphambanisa nangamabomu okumnyama nokumhlophe. ingabe amandla omuntu nokukhathaza umuntu kuyayiphazamisa imithetho kankulunkulu? ngemva kokumelana ngamabomu nonkulunkulu, umuntu akanandaba, futhi angaze ambulale, angamniki ithuba lokuziveza. kuphi ukulunga? lukuphi uthando? uhlala eceleni kukankulunkulu, aguqise unkulunkulu ngamadolo ukuze azinxusele intethelelo, ukuze alalele wonke amalungiselelo akhe, ajwayelane namaqhinga akhe, futhi wenza unkulunkulu athathe uphawu lwakhe kuye kukho konke akwenzayo, kungenjalo uvele agcwale intukuthelo. unkulunkulu angahlala kanjani angakhungathwa usizi ezikhathini zobumnyama ezinjalo, ikuphi ukuphambanisa okumhlophe nokumnyama? angahlala kanjani angakhathazeki? kungani kuthiwa lapho unkulunkulu eqala umsebenzi wakhe wakamuva, kufana nokuqala kwesenzakalo esisha? izenzo zomuntu zicebile, zichuma amanzi omthombo amnandi angapheli anisela insimu eyinhliziyo yomuntu, kuyilapho “umthombo wamanzi aphilayo” omuntu uqophisana nonkulunkulu ngaphandle kokungabaza; laba ababili abanakuzwana, kwenza abantu babheke unkulunkulu ngokufanayo, kuyilapho umuntu ekwenza ngaphandle kokucabanga ngezingozi ezihilelekile. kuze kube nini? angambuyisela eceleni unkulunkulu, ambeke kude, lapho abantu bengeke bamnake khona, besabe ngokujulile ukuthi uzodonsa iso labo, ubethuse kakhulu umthombo kankulunkulu wamanzi aphilayo, wokuzuza umuntu. ngakho ngemva kokudlula eminyakeni eminingi yokukhathazeka kwabantu, uphamba unkulunkulu aze enze unkulunkulu isisulu sokugxeka kwakhe. kunjengokungathi unkulunkulu ufana nombhalo wezenzakalo emehlweni akhe, umfuna ngazo zonke izindlela unkulunkulu ukuze acwengwe futhi ahlanzwe. ukubona ukungahlaliseki kukankulunkulu, umuntu uyahleka, adanse, athi unkulunkulu ucwengiwe, athi uzohlanza okungahlanzekile ngonkulunkulu, njengokungathi lokhu kwenza umqondo, njengokuthi kunobulungiswa futhi kuyizindlela zezulu ezinomqondo. lokhu kuziphatha komuntu okunodlame kubonakala kunenhloso futhi kunokunganaki. umuntu wembula ubuso bakhe obubi, umphefumulo ongcolile, kanye nokubonakala enxusa; ngemva kokuphulukundlela, uthatha ukubonakala futhi anxuse intethelelo yamazulu, abonise ubukhulu bamandla enja. umuntu uhlale enza okungalindelekile, uhlale “eyigibela ngemuva ingwe ukuze ethuse abanye,”[a] uhlale ufuna ukuhleka nomaphi lapho engakwazi khona, akacabangi nakancane ngenhliziyo kankulunkulu, futhi akanandaba nesithunzi sakhe. umane amelane buthule nonkulunkulu, njengokungathi unkulunkulu umonile, futhi akamfuni ukumphatha kanjalo, njengokungathi izulu alinawo amehlo futhi lenza izinto zibe nzima kuye. ngakho kuyenzeka umuntu awafeze isinyelela amacebo amabi, futhi angazithambisi izimfuneko zikankulunkulu, abuke ngamehlo akhe, awubuke ngokucophelela umnyakazo kankulunkulu olandelayo, angacabangi ukuthi uyisitha sikankulunkulu, ngethemba lokuthi usuku luyofika lapho ingxenye kankulunkulu yemfologo, yenza izinto zicace ngokuthi imsindise “emlonyeni wengwe” futhi imphindiselele. nsuku zonke abantu abakacabangi ukuthi bamelene nendima kankulunkulu ukuthi bekulokhu kudlalwa ngabo kuzo zonke lezi zinkathi; bangakwazi kanjani lokho kukho konke abakwenzayo, abaphambuki futhi konke abakuqondayo sekuyisikhathi eside kwagcina ukumbozwa ulwandle.